Neighbor john raises a neighborhood issue and is looking for some help from us. You and me, that is.
5/17/2007 11:01 PM
john: Neighbors on the east side of Volunteer Park often complain about the lack of a crosswalk or curb cuts/ramps at E. Highland and 15th Ave. E. Families, joggers, strolling nannies, dog walkers, etc., come into conflict with accelerating, chatting drivers who see this as a bit of freeway. Coupled with two bus stops and the start of a park pathway, the tricky corner is in need of some good ol’ Seattle pedestrian friendliness. (A typical scenario: A #10 bus waits for a babysitter with double stroller who can’t get up the curb into the park. Cars are still motoring by.) I, and others, have called the various agencies with jurisdiction there: SDOT, Metro, Seattle Parks; but none of them want to take charge. I’m wondering if a collection of voices, perhaps beginning on this site, might not catalyze a bit of bureaucratic action. (This is not a big-budget project. I’d bet the neighborhood could raise the funds lickety split.) And then we could see about getting an ice cream parlor on 15th. Thanks.
Let’s see what we can figure out. Our first inclination is to check with the folks that make up the Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board to see if they support small projects like this. We’ll give em a ring. Here’s guessing Andrew Taylor from Miller Park Seattle has some good experience making things like this happen. Andrew, you out there?
–j/k
12th Street at Harrison could really use a crosswalk too.
they totally need a crosswalk on this stretch. i’m really surprised there isn’t one. these are long blocks and there’s prime park on one side with residential on the other. of course people will try to j-walk when the alternative is walking a LONG way around. and since there’s no stop sign or light at highland, the cars go pretty fast.
Great idea – a crosswalk at Highland would help slow the traffic even when no one is crossing. Count me in for support and help on this, if you need it.
Try checking with Feet First, a pedestrian advocacy group, and nice folks to boot. http://www.feetfirst.info/act
Jan Drago is the city council member chair of the ped safety committee. Send her an email, her staff should be able to tell you what to do.
The City of Seattle looks most favorably on requests from organized neighborhood groups. The Capitol Hill Community Council in rather inactive now, other than its listserv, and I know of no local neighborhood groups in that area: the North Capitol Hill Neighborhood Association (http://www.nchna.com/) stops at E. Howe Street.
Obvious tactics would include:
1) help revive Capitol Hill Community Council
2) Start a local neighborhood group in the area, with the crosswalk as a rallying cry
3) bring the issue to the East District Council.
For any of the above, start by consulting José Cervantes, the coordinator of our Neighborhood Service Center (aka “Little City Hall”) in the Capitol Hill Library (jose.cervantes@seattle.gov, 206-684-4574). He can also connect you with sources of City funds to pay for a crosswalk as your own little project (though I think you’ve just missed this year’s deadline).
Having chosen a tactic, invite SDOT to a meeting with the neighborhood to discuss the issue, with the clear expectation that they will analyze it in great detail and then conclude that you really don’t want one, and would be better off and safer without one. Don’t laugh: just remember you heard it here first.
One word summary: organize.
Best of luck,
Andrew Taylor
Miller Park Neighborhood Association
I see that the crosswalk issue is taken care of. Moving on to the ice-cream-on-15th topic, the guy in the shoe repair place at 15th and Republican pointed out today that when Rainbow reopens under new management (here’s hoping), it really needs to serve frozen yogurt. Amen. If they had been serving frozen yogurt all along, they’d still be there today.
scottkp – a crosswalk doesn’t necessarily mean a light. crosswalks can be just a sign and the painted lines. That makes a big difference in terms of driver awareness and it DOESN’T slow traffic even when no one is crossing.
pffft- yeah, I was picturing one of those yellow cross walk signs hanging over the middle of the road with yellow lights flashing. Unrealistic? I know even those don’t slow down ALL traffic. I think even a plain old sign and painted lines will help a little, but any reason why we shouldn’t go for the full monty?
The city claims crosswalks are old school, giving people “a false sense of security.” (As opposed to the more comforting “no sense of security” currently in vogue at this corner.) Curb cuts (ramps) must meet ADA requirements for “future” standards. (Chew on that while your wheelchair idles.) With few reported incidents at this corner, the city tacitly suggests that agents for change gather and then walk in front of a bus. I’m thinking a more Jackass flaming stroller might work. In the mean time, I’ll see if I can’t find the energy to take this issue further. The comments here are quite encouraging. Maybe now we need to hear true tales of terror from 15th Ave. pedestrians.
History lesson: the founding director of our City’s Department of Neighborhoods was Jim Diers. One of Mayor Nickels’ first acts as Mayor was to fire Jim Diers (on Jim’s birthday!). Where’s this going?
Jim’s most famous act was crosswalk related:
“need for a crosswalk signal on the adjacent street, a busy thoroughfare. The tenants felt so overwhelmed by all these problems that it was difficult to bring them together around any one issue.
Then one day a child was killed while using the striped crosswalk on the busy street. We organized a community meeting and invited the Engineering Department. “What will it take before we can get a signal installed?” the chair demanded of the city representative. “Another death?” “No, two deaths” was the response. “We have standards.”
The community was so incensed that, the next day, people formed a steady stream of pedestrians, walking back and forth in the crosswalk, backing up traffic for blocks. The fliers they handed to the waiting motorists read: “Sorry for the inconvenience. We need a light to get traffic moving again.” The flier asked people to call the head of the Engineering Department–and gave his home phone number–to request a light. Shortly thereafter a traffic light was installed.”
Taken from this excerpt from Jim Diers’ book.
Get Jim Diers’ book or get Jim and get organizing!
All the best.
Andrew