Lynnwood residents fume as city converts their street parking to bike lanes

LYNNWOOD -- Take a walk with Craig Parsons down his street and you'll learn about his neighbors.

The family next door parks five vehicles in their front yard. On the other side lives a couple who must maneuver their vehicles around in order to park both of their cars in their narrow driveway. Farther down, a family with three teenage drivers struggles to get everybody parked safely.

What most people on 208th Street SW in this 1950s-era blue-collar neighborhood have in common is anger about the city's decision to replace on-street parking with bicycle lanes.

That's why many of Parsons' neighbors now are pulling up on their front lawns.

"People here can no longer have big family gatherings at the holidays," Parsons said. "There isn't even enough parking on the side streets. Our home values are going down because of the no parking. And we rarely see any bike riders."

City officials knew there would be concern about on-street parking when Lynnwood received a $150,000 federal grant for bike lanes on three streets in the city, public works director Bill Franz said.

Nevertheless, the grant seemed a good way to pay for something that looked to the future -- the establishment of three east-west bike corridors on the major east-west arterials of 168th, 188th and 208th, he said.

The trouble, Parsons said, is that the very few people ride their bikes on 208th, but many people are now without parking. Some lack a garage, a driveway or a way to get a car into the back yard.

After notifying residents, the city held numerous public meetings on the subject. People who live on 188th Street SW were the most vocal in arguing against the bike lanes and the removal of on-street parking, Franz said.

"The City Council wrestled with this and knew it was a tough decision," he said. "In the end, they voted to establish the bike lanes. It was the right thing to do, what was called for in the city's comprehensive plan."

Parsons says the removal of parking has encouraged drivers, some already exceeding the posted speed limit, to drive even faster.

Very few people on the street are bucking the city's no-parking rules because ignoring the signs comes with a $350 fine, Parsons said. Now people are concerned that they'll be cited for parking in their front yards.

City Councilwoman Lisa Utter said traffic engineers believe the bike lanes on 208th should help slow down traffic when lines are finally painted, she said.

Councilman Jim Smith doesn't agree.

"We need to stop retrofitting Lynnwood. Our focus should be our residents," he said. "We have sacrificed our citizens for bike lanes. It's crazy."

Parsons said another thing that's crazy is that the Interurban Trail is just south of his block. Bicyclists already have an option other than bike lanes in front of his home, he said.

Last week, cyclist Ruth Lindgren of Shoreline was riding along 208th Street SW looking for the trail.

"But we can't get very far riding just on trails," she said.

Longtime bicyclist Dennis Larson of Lynnwood said he regularly rides on 208th Street SW where it intersects with the Interurban Trail.

"Trails don't get you from one place to another," Larson said. "With fuel prices and the economy, I don't think people can expect busy streets to be parking lots forever."

More than 32 households and a few business owners on 208th Street SW have petitioned city officials to change their minds about the bike lanes. They are looking for some sort of compromise, such as allowing people to park in front of their houses at night, Parsons said.

Down the street from Parsons, Dave Brown, the owner of Carso's Pasta Co., doesn't have enough parking for his employees and customers.

"This just makes no sense. I see a bike rider maybe once a week," Brown said as he gazed from his office window out to the street. "Because we can't park on the street in front of our building, we are parking on side streets and infringing on our neighbors."

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427, gfiege@heraldnet.com.