North End

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The hill climb when cyclists first arrive on Vashon is not only strenuous (almost a mile long), but also quite dangerous, having no shoulder in many places and high speed, often aggressive, traffic. As Rebecca says in the clip, she will not let her children cycle this road.  It is a major impediment to the growth of Vashon's reputation as an eco-tour destination, since it is the first impression many people get when they arrive on the island.

The solution is simple:  rather than merging the two southbound lanes of motor vehicle traffic half way up the hill, merge traffic at the bottom of ferry hill, and convert the far right lane into a two way path for bicycle and pedestrian traffic, with a grass divider between. 

At present, electric bicycles are banned from the designated bike parking at the ferry terminal building for security reasons.  Turning this designated No Parking zone (shown below at the base of ferry hill) into a covered bike shelter with Ebike charging outlets would make this an attractive alternative for many commuters.  It could also be a possible location for an Electric Bikeshare program to rent and charge bicycles.