- WESTLAKE NEIGHBORHOOD -

Adding a dedicated bus lane on both the east and west sides of Westlake Ave N. is a significant reduction in capacity with direct impacts to existing property owners and tenants. While SDOT has responded to the specific concerns for freight deliveries of one property owner on the west side of Westlake North by creating a transitional delivery lane, the plan still includes a bus-only lane both north and south-bound. 

Even when ridership was at its height, there have been no issues of congestion or delays for busses on Westlake N. Bus only lanes are a solution to a non-problem and should be removed from the plan. Some aspects of the current Route 40 plan make sense, such as the inclusion of a pedestrian-operated crosswalk to enable residents, business owners and customers to safely cross the street and the addition of a bus stop at Halladay.   

One lane of car traffic headed north is very likely to cause long backups in the summer as the Fremont Bridge is raised. The summer cueing currently extends about a half mile down Westlake with two lanes for car traffic. With ridership still barely over 50% of pre-COVID numbers and a lack of data on post-COVID ridership trends, this change would have significant impact on workers, residents and small businesses who must have dependable access over the Fremont Bridge. There is also a secondary impact to this cueing with the dedicated bus lane just north of the Bridge on 36th Ave N that will compound through Westlake Ave N. in the summer.  

PLEASE VIEW THE IMAGES ABOVE TO SEE A DETAILED VIEW OF WHAT SDOT IS PROPOSING FOR WESTLAKE.