Motorcyclist Badly Hurt On 'Durkan Speedway' In North Seattle

SEATTLE, WA — A recently redesigned North Seattle street nicknamed the "Durkan Speedway" by local bicyclists was the scene of a serious collision between a truck and a motorcyclist on Monday night, according to Seattle police.

The collision happened around 5:15 p.m. on Monday in Wedgwood at the intersection of 35th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 75th Street. The 87-year-old pickup truck driver was making a left turn onto 75th when the collision happened, Seattle police said. The 22-year-old motorcyclist was taken to Harborview in critical condition.

In March, SDOT announced that the ongoing repaving of 35th Avenue Northeast would move forward without bike lanes. That pleased business owners who were worried the lanes would take away parking, but it angered bicyclists who had been lobbying for bike lanes along the major north-south corridor.

In recent weeks, some bicyclists have publicized videos of cars speeding along Northeast 35th, passing bikers in the center turn lane at high speeds. The bikers have taken to calling Northeast 35th the "Durkan Speedway" over the mayor's role in deleting the bike lanes.

On June 7, SDOT said that it will be monitoring traffic speeds and the number of collisions along Northeast 35th. The agency also acknowledged that cars are illegally using the center turn lane to pass. SDOT will add posts and repaint lanes near the intersections of 80th, 73rd, and 68th streets to discourage use of center turn lanes for passing.

Seattle police said that traffic detectives are still investigating what caused the Monday crash between the motorcyclist and pickup truck. The pickup truck driver did pass field sobriety tests at the scene, however.