Sheri Zimny,

Last November an issue came up with the Catch Basin at Bowman and Division. I attached an email below related to the issue.

Sometime in the past four weeks the solid plate was replaced with an open grate. Unfortunately I found this out with the front wheel of my road bike falling in the grate and flipping me over the handlebars into the road onto Harrison the Thursday night before last (9th). The corner does not have a street light and the grate sits about 15 inches from the curb right in the typical path a bike would take making that turn. I am afraid that other cyclist will find this grate the same way.  I am a bike mechanic so I was able to repair my bike and need to buy a new helmet. Many of the users taking this route are Evergreen students that unfortunately do not were helmets and may not have sufficient lighting to see this grate. It is not an issue for fat tired mountain bikes but road bikes with a tire narrower than 30cm will find a way down into the grate.

I'm not really sure what can be done beyond a solid plate. The grate in place now is like in picture one.Rotating it or placing a different strip grate in that spot could create an issue for the bike traffic on Harrison. A grate like picture two would work. If you watch the water on a rainy day it is not going in the grate as it sits at a higher point than the rest of the road. The water is running back down Bowman and into the gutter grate about ten feet back and down Harrison into the gutter grate about 30 feet north. If the grate can not be replaced can a reflective paint boarder be painted around it to make it stand out?

Thank you for your attention and help.


>---- Original Message ----
>From: arimaout2@...
>To: info@...
>Cc: Sheri Zimny
>Sent: Friday, November 07, 2008 4:26 PM
>Subject: Catch Basin at Bowman
>
>> Larry,
>>
>> I am the inspector on the Division Street sidewalk project. Yesterday
>> I received a copy of your email to Project Manager, Sheri Zimny
>> concerning the catch basin at corner of Division and Bowman. I took a
>> look at today and indeed there was potential for a bicyclist turning
>> from Bowman onto division to catch their tire in the grate. I picked
>> up a solid cover from the Cities utility department and replaced the
>> herring bone one at that location. The new structure was placed
>> during the sidewalk and stormwater project to access the existing
>> storm line and for expanding the system west into the "Rain Garden"
>> that was built there at the corner. That location is a high spot and
>> no water drains into it, so the solid cover will work for everyone.
>> Thanks for bringing it to our attention.
>>
>> Chuck Main



Joseph (Jody) Ott
Mountain Bike Captain
Capital Bicycling Club
Olympia WA
soulbikes@...
www.capitalbicycleclub.org