UPDATE: The MCC tells us they have petitions at ACE Hardware in The Village for people who want to sign.
UPDATE: The Seattle Police Department has issued this statement retracting their original media release about BAT lane violations following the MCC meeting last night:
On October 15th, we indicated that the Seattle Police Traffic Section would be conducting enforcement of Business Access and Transit (BAT) Lane violations along the 15th Avenue West corridor. This is no longer the case.
Public education on these roadway changes will continue, with enforcement of violations to occur at a later date. Additional announcements on this subject will be forthcoming!
A crowd of over fifty people vented their frustrations about the city’s BAT (business, access and transit) lanes tonight but there was some good news from the meeting. Seattle Police announced they will not be enforcing BAT lanes rules yet and no tickets will be issued to drivers for awhile. This reverses our report from October 15 when the city warned they would issue tickets to anyone who violated the rules of the BAT lanes.
The city now says it was premature in saying they would issue tickets for BAT lane violators.
A number of issues were brought up tonight, as Eric Widstrandt (left) and Bill Bryant from Seattle’s Department of Transportation attempted to explain the BAT lanes to residents, many of whom expressed anger and frustration over the lanes devoted to buses on 15th Ave West.
The city representatives were invited by the Magnolia Community Club (MCC) to address resident’s concerns.
Magnolia resident Mark Bloome said that it feels like the BAT lanes are going to stay in place no matter what residents say and others echoed that concern. There were also complaints about the lack of information given to the neighborhoods impacted by the lanes before they were installed. 
Residents from Magnolia, Queen Anne and Ballard attended the meeting. Some accused the city of being heavy handed and not listening to citizen’s concerns and others called the BAT lanes ridiculous and said the signage and usage rules were confusing. One woman said her drive now takes 15-20 minutes longer because of the increased traffic in the two lanes left for cars. Another resident told the city reps that he really did not believe they would change their minds no matter what they heard from people at the meeting. A long line of people waited to ask questions and make comments.
Bryant and Widstrandt said they can’t evaluate the lanes fully until the signal timing system is finished which won’t be for a few months. They also plan to tweak problems on a case by case location for specific locations. They said they would consider allowing van pools to use the BAT lanes along with buses but they are not considering allowing car pools in those lanes.
They listened to a number of people express concerns over the confusing signage. They admit they ‘oversigned’ the area in an effort to explain the rules. The crowd broke into applause a number of times when people criticized the BAT lanes. One of the comments that drew the most applause was the suggestion that the city cover the signs with bags until they have the issues worked out.
While a majority of people at the meeting opposed the BAT lanes, two bus riders testified that their commutes were shorter because of the BAT lanes.
The MCC also unveiled a petition asking the city to make safety improvements to the BAT lanes. They will be circulating to Magnolia residents in the next few weeks.
