Washington Bike Law’s Settlement Includes Deadlines for SDOT to Make the Burke-Gilman Trail’s Missing Link Safer for Everyone, but SDOT’s Initial Changes are Questioned
The Seattle Times Mentions Legislating Presumed Liability In Covering Robb Mason’s Tragic Death While Bike Commuting
Read the January 4, 2023 Seattle Times article.
Bob Anderton presents at the Seattle City Council’s Transportation committee’s hearing on June 21, 2022. An excerpt from it follows:
Most people love lawyer jokes, and I am tempted to tell one now, but out of respect for your time I’ll just give you the punchline: So many more people are being injured and killed on Seattle’s streets that Washington Bike Law just hired ANOTHER bike lawyer.
Vision Zero requires that leaders accept their responsibility for making streets safe for everyone. We are more than halfway through 2022 and this is the first time the Transportation Committee has even considered Vision Zero. Mayor Harrell fired SDOT’s director shortly after his election and has still not named a successor.
What is Seattle’s vision for ACTION to PREVENT more and more people being seriously injured and killed on our streets?
I recognize that City politics are tough and that all of the members of this committee intend to serve their constituents, but this is about more than politics, it is literally life and death.
Please accept the responsibility that you have to lead and take ACTION NOW to achieve Vision Zero.
Click below to see the full hearing. Bob’s comment begins at 23:18.
Does the Burke-Gilman Trail’s Infamous “Missing Link” Remain Dangerous Not Just Because of Lawsuits to Stop it, But Because Required Insurance Insulates the City from Financial Consequences?
Read the March 22, 2022 Seattle Bike Blog article on Washington Bike Law’s lawsuit.
The Burke-Gilman Trail’s Infamous “Missing Link” is “still incredibly dangerous” according to The Urbanist’s coverage of Washington Bike Law’s recent efforts
“We can’t wait for the Missing Link to be solved in another year or ten.”
“We need this street to be safe now.”
The Urbanist Quotes Washington Bike Law’s Bob Anderton Questioning Whether State Legislation Intended to Better Protect Pedestrians, SB 5687, Will Work
… Bob Anderton, the founding attorney at Washington Bike Law, doesn’t see the added language as being clearly beneficial to a pedestrian trying to defend their presence in the roadway. Anderton notes that Washington’s pattern jury instructions, summaries of current laws provided by a presiding judge to a jury, already notes that a pedestrian has a standard of due care. “It is the duty of every person using a public street or highway [whether a pedestrian or a driver of a vehicle] to exercise ordinary care to avoid placing [himself or herself or] others in danger and to exercise ordinary care to avoid a collision,” WPI 70.01 states.
“I worry this adds complexity… if the goal is to make it safer for pedestrians, we should clarify the law and not add stuff nobody understands,” Anderton told me. He would modify the existing language, not simply add additional sentences onto it, to clarify what it means for a pedestrian to be exercising due care when using a roadway with or without a sidewalk. In the meantime, Anderton is concerned this change in law could be worse than the status quo.
Washington State’s Active Transportation Plan and Dangers to People Walking or Riding Bikes in Crosscut
“Many studies have shown that adding highway capacity does not solve gridlock. It induces more demand and the gridlock quickly returns,” says lawyer Bob Anderton of Washington Bike Law, whose clients rely on active transportation. “Mode change is what we need, but that won’t happen when gas is cheap, parking is free and roads are dangerous for people outside of cars.”
There are plenty of variables involved with traffic deaths outside the realm of this report, like vehicle design, which Washington Bike Law’s Anderton points to as a leading cause of the increase in bike and pedestrian injuries. “Motor vehicles have gotten safer and safer for people inside of them [thanks to things like air bags and crumple zones], but they are more and more dangerous for people outside of them.”
https://crosscut.com/environment/2021/01/how-far-washington-has-go-make-roads-safe-everyone
Vision Zero, the Law & You
Washington Bike Law’s Bob Anderton published an article on Vision Zero in the January 2020 edition of the Bar Bulletin. Every lawyer in King County receives this monthly publication. Hopefully they will take it to heart.
Read it here.
Washington Bike Law’s Bob Anderton interviewed for the series Unmute the Commute on 91.3 KBCS.
In what was supposed to be a 5 minute segment, Bob managed just under 7 minutes, edging ever closer to the promised 15 minutes of fame.
If you have 7 minutes to spare, listen as he discusses #PresumedLiability and Washington Bike Law’s commitment to Bike Works and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, among other topics.
Click HERE to listen.
Bob Anderton speaks to the Seattle City Council’s Transportation & Sustainability Committee on July 18, 2018 in favor of expanding Seattle’s Bike Network
“We need space where everybody feels safe, and one of the ways to do that is to expand areas where bikes can be– that helps people walking, it helps people riding bikes, it also helps people in cars– because when people are out riding bikes (like some of our councilmembers) that means they’re not driving cars and so that’s more room on the streets for cars.
This is a win for everyone and I hope you’ll do it.”
Video below [Bob’s comments begin at 16:15]
Bob Anderton helped with a USDOT safety assessment of large vehicles with pedestrians and bicyclists in April of 2015.
Other federal government participants included the FMCSA, FHWA, NHTSA, FTA, FRA, as well as the Seattle DOT.
StreetsblogUSA on March 13, 2014 quotes Bob Anderton’s talk at the 2014 National Bike Summit in Washington, DC.
“We need laws that motivate motor vehicle drivers to avoid these collisions in the first place,”
The full story is here.
Bob Anderton speaks in favor of making drivers who hit pedestrians or bicyclists presumed liable at a Seattle City Council Transportation Committee hearing in December 2013:
Full video is here. Bob’s comments begin about 64 minutes in.
Washington Bike Law is the first BizCycle certified business by Cascade Bicycle Club.
As reported in the Cascade Courier.
Bob speaks in favor of strict liability against drivers who hit bicyclists at the City of Seattle’s Road Safety Summit. [ October 24, 2011]
Ballard News Tribune
[…] Representing bike messengers, commuters, recreational bikers as well as racers, Anderton has seen all sorts of incidents. Bikers get doored, backed into, broadsided, sideswept…you name it, he’s seen it. “In the cases you’ve handled, is it always the car’s fault?,” I asked. “Wouldn’t that be nice,” Anderton said. “I drafted legislation to always make it the car’s fault, which is what we call strict liability.” There are strict liability laws for things like dog bites. It is always the attacking dog’s fault unless the dog was provoked. In the case of bicyclists getting hit by cars, the strict liability would place the car driver at fault but defense arguments could be that it was dark and the bicyclist didn’t have any lights or the bicyclist got hit after running a red light, etc.
KOMO4 News (video interview)
Cyclists sue Seattle over trolley tracks (Video) [June 1, 2010]
[…] “Many different people said that this was fatally flawed and that bicycle crashes were highly foreseeable and they did it anyway,” Anderton said. […]
carbusters.org
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Can Seattle cops impound a bike if rider doesn’t have helmet? [March 17, 2009]
[…] “I’ve not heard of SPD impounding a bike because the rider wasn’t wearing a helmet, so no, I don’t think we would do that,” department spokesman Mark Jamieson said. […] The helmet law is buried in the County Board of Health Code […] Seattle attorney Bob Anderton also created a Web site about local bike laws.
King County Bar Bulletin
Profile / Bob Anderton Coming Full Cycle [December 2008]
[…] “Bob shows respect for everybody,” observed Oil. “He is always available to talk about cyclists’ rights at workshops we put on. Cyclists who are injured in accidents think that society and the government have this
attitude that they shouldn’t be on the road and so they don’t defend their rights. Bob speaks to this cycling community and lets them know they have legal rights. He respects us and it matters.” […]
The Stranger
Collision Course
Cyclists Claim Harassment by Seattle Police [11-11-2008]
Attorney Bob Anderton, who rides his bike to his downtown office every day, represents riders in personal-injury claims. He says while some officers pull cyclists over for legitimate reasons—helmets are required by law, and cyclists have to have front and back lights at night—there are plenty of cops out there who just don’t understand cycling.
“I talk to quite a lot of people who get in accidents, and the police come and [give cyclists] tickets for things they shouldn’t get tickets for,” Anderton says. For example, he says, cyclists have complained about getting tickets for “following too closely” when cut off by a car.
Bikes Belong Coalition
Bob is a co-signer of this letter regarding the Safe Routes to School National Partnership [November 2008]
You can review the final letter and download a PDF of the final House and Senate letters at the following link: http://www.saferoutespartnership.org. As you meet with or contact Members of Congress, we encourage you to include this letter and this ask in your transportation discussions.
“One World Report ” on KBCS 91.3 FM
Critical Mass & the Media [on the air 7-31-2008]
Listen to the entire show segment:
[…] last Friday bicyclists on a Critical Mass group ride through Capitol Hill clashed with a motorist who was blocked by their passage. The driver refused to wait. The crowd refused to back down. And the final picture was one of slashed tires, crumpled bikes and bloodied bodies. But the issue of blame was yet to be drawn. Then came the reporters. The media fallout left many wondering who had really done what, and to whom. Bicyclists felt unfairly maligned by the press. And the incident raised broader questions of who has the right to the road. What are the factors contributing to violent interactions between those in cars and those riding bicycles? Is there rising road rage between two pedaled and four wheeled road users and what role does the media play?
Reporter: Tara Hayes
Guests: Davey Oil, co-founder The Bikery Collective, Bob Anderton, Seattle Bike Attorney, Larry Hildes attorney for cyclist David Maxwell.
NPR “The Conversation” on KUOW 94.9 FM
Bikes vs. Cars [on the air 7-28-2008]
Listen: (Bob’s questions put to Peter Lagerway)
[…] There was a fracas Friday night on Capitol Hill between a driver and bicyclists in Critical Mass, a monthly protest ride. The bikers say the driver ran into several cyclists. The driver says he was just trying to escape a mob of bicyclists. Two bikers were arrested. No one has yet been charged. […] Should bicyclists be licensed, and ticketed like drivers? Should drivers be trained to share the road? What can be done to improve relations? […]
Anderton Law Office sponsors CRANK IT UP,
a Bikes, Art & Bands Event
We gave away 75 helmets and over 100 bike horns!
‘Crank It Up’ if you’re visiting Cesar Chavez Park this weekend [published 7-11-2008]
[…] South Park Arts is hosting a free community celebration Saturday called “Crank It Up,” starting with bicycle decorating and a bike tour around the neighborhood. Also featured: live music and arts and crafts available for sale and for on-the-spot creation. The event is being held at the brand-new Cesar Chavez Park […]
NPR “Weekday” on KUOW 94.9 FM
Listen: Clang Clang Clang went the Trolley [listen to radio interview] [On the Air 7-8-2008]
“[…] But has the South Lake Union Streetcar been successful? [… ] Are streetcars a good answer to our transportation woes? […] Guests: Ethan Malone streetcar program manager for the Department of Transportation, Don Clifton co/owner and CEO of S.L.U.T. Apparel, Jan Drago chair of the Transportation Committee on Seattle City Council, Bob Anderton represents 5 cyclists who have filed claim against the city after bicycle accidents involving the SLUT.”
NPR “All Things Considered” on KUOW 94.9 FM
Bicyclists sue Seattle (transcript from the radio interview) [On the Air 3-28-2008]
“Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels proposed a Seattle Bicycle Master Plan; […] But Washington bike lawyer Bob Anderton says there’s nothing in the Plan about the hazardous grates”
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Cyclists want action on dangerous storm drains
Grates parallel to roads can catch bike tires, cause crashes [published 1-13-2008]
“I don’t mind having fewer clients as long as people are safe,” said Anderton, the attorney who represented Schaefer. “Bicyclists don’t want to see just talk of a plan, or even a plan, we’d like to see action on making streets safe for all the legal users.”
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
Seattle bikes: Safety hypocrisy [published 1-14-2008]
And when a bicyclist sued Seattle, City Attorney Tom Carr — an elected official — rejected a settlement that would have inconvenienced the public utilities’ bureaucracy. As the Seattle P-I’s Casey McNerthney reports, Carr turned down a settlement with the injured cyclist, whose head injuries were severe enough to cause amnesia, because Carr thought SPU’s workload was too much to inventory the grates and plan their replacement in a year.[…]
THE SEATTLE TIMES
Cyclists, skinny tires, streetcar rails — not a good mix [published 12-6-2007]
New streetcar tracks on Seattle’s Westlake Avenue have turned into a trap for bicyclists[…] “Any time there’s a bicycle around, we’re extra cautious,” said Paul Warner, a streetcar operator for King County Metro Transit. Warner said he has seen a couple of cyclists fall during train testing and that he allows extra stopping distance behind bicycles in case one gets pitched […]
Bob is quoted in an AP article
Bicycle lawyers finding new clients in injured cyclists [published 8/11/2007]
Bob Anderton, a Seattle-based lawyer who bikes to work, said his business has climbed to 80 percent injured cyclists.
“It’s through the roof, it’s terrible,” he said. “People are just getting hit all the time.”
Bob is Profiled in
CAR BUSTERS Magazine, Issue 28 [September-November 2006]
carbusters.org
Bob and other Housing Justice Project volunteer attorneys receive awards for ten years of service.
