Heads up if you drive southbound on Dexter Ave N. The city has banned right turns from Dexter Ave N to Mercer St to protect cyclists after two car-bicycle collisions last Tuesday. Per SDOT, the ban is temporary – it will last throughout the Mercer West Project, currently slated to be completed in mid-2015.
From: our news partner, The Seattle Times:
Seattle slaps right-turn ban on busy Dexter-Mercer intersection
By Mike Lindblom
Seattle Times
August 3, 2014Seattle took the quick and unusual step of banning right turns across its popular Dexter Avenue North bike corridor for southbound drivers turning west onto Mercer Street.
Seattle has banned drivers from turning right at one of the city’s busiest intersections, to protect the thousands of bicyclists passing through.
The decision was an immediate reaction to a pair of car-bike collisions last Tuesday, crashes that occurred as vehicles turned from Dexter Avenue North onto westbound Mercer Street, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT)…
SDOT spokesman Rick Sheridan said the ban is temporary, during construction of the Mercer West project, scheduled to last until mid-2015. Dexter now sits 80 feet east of its normal alignment, with a curve that distracts drivers approaching Mercer, he said….
Continue to the Seattle Times article for full coverage of the right-turn ban.