City Contact To Get LIME Bikes Picked Up That Are Blocking Sidewalks

East Laurelhurst Drive

bike on 2 sidewalks

The Laurelhurst Blog has received several emails about neighbors' efforts trying to get rid of bike that are part of the City's bikeshare program, such as the LIME bicycles, that are regularly blocking sidewalks and potentially causing a safety hazard for pedestrians.

One resident said:

A cluster of LIME bicycles has been abandoned for at least the past 2 weeks on the sidewalk at the intersection of NE 42 Street and 51st Avenue NE, creating a public safety hazard by forcing pedestrians, especially those with dogs on leash, either on to the street or the lawn of the adjacent residence. I assume these are the City of Seattle’s responsibility. However, I’ve searched the Seattle.gov website high and low but cannot find any link through which to report this concern. How does one resolve this matter, i.e., getting rid of the bicycles asap, before someone gets hurt trying to avoid them?

Another resident said:

We have photographed many bike’s serial numbers, then called the Lime bike number to remove them. It took over a week, but they were finally gone. The City has not addressed liability from the homeowners’ responsibility to keep their sidewalk clear of hazards. Sadly, it may take an accident and a City lawsuit to set stricter rules for the owner of the company, and their users.

The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) found out that the bike share manager at SDOT is Joel Miller who can be reached by email at Joel.miller@seattle.gov or by phone at 206-684-7639.

The resident contacted Joel and the bikes were picked up two days later. He urged fellow neighbors to contact Joel to "help keep the neighborhood clear of this clutter."

Another neighbor commented that if you see a bike that is improperly parked, which seems to be the majority of them that pose safety hazards, parked on grass, impairing vision for drivers and pedestrians, to email both LIME, support@limebike.com, and the City program manager, Joel Miller (contact information above.)  It's also important to document the violations, and response times. The bike share permit states that LIME and those that use their bikes are required to move an improperly parked bike within two hours of notification during weekdays, and ten hours on evenings, weekends, and holidays. 

Neighbor Urges Drivers To Use Caution Near Pedestrians And Cyclists

We received this email Monday:

I would like to post a reminder for drivers to be aware of pedestrians/runners in our neighborhood.

This morning I was on my way back home from a run at 7:15am and was nearly hit by a driver in a black sedan.

I was heading southbound on 48^th Avenue NE on the corner of NE 41^st St. There was a car stopped at the stop sign in the northbound direction of 48^th Avenue NE, intersection of NE 41^st Street across from Laurelhurst park.

I stopped and thought that the driver acknowledged me since his head was raised and he was at a full stop for a few seconds at the stop sign. I started to run across NE 41^st Street and the driver of the black sedan turned left and stopped a few inches from hitting me. He then continued up the hill westbound on NE 41^st Street and I chased after him.

To his credit,  he did stop and pull over and apologize, saying that he was distracted, and that he did not see me. I do not know if he would have stopped his car if I hadn’t chased after him, yelling at him to stop.

Just a reminder to all drivers that any time of day – including the morning hours, to be aware of pedestrians and cyclists in our neighborhood.