Tag Archive for 'sidewalks'

Appreciate and care for our sidewalks!

This is a guest post by Marjorie, a Seattle bus rider and pedestrian.

I’m living with my elderly mother in the house my parents bought in the 50s, and when the sidewalks were installed in the 60s my parents were assessed on their property taxes for 10 years to pay for these.

If the city is now giving people sidewalks without the property owners having to pay, then the city should reimburse (with interest) those who had to pay for their own sidewalks. I might make an exception for arterials. Arterials should always have sidewalks, but ironically many Seattle arterials don’t have these.

And property owners need to be reminded that they are responsible for maintaining their sidewalks. I spend many, many hours every year digging up the weeds that grow through the cracks. Otherwise the sidewalks will buckle and break and become unsafe for pedestrians.

How many people holler for sidewalks but then neglect them once installed? I have little patience with property owners who don’t accept the responsibility that goes with having sidewalks:

  1. Don’t park cars across curb cuts in sidewalks.
  2. Sweep or rake leaves – don’t let them pile up on sidewalks.
  3. Make sure tree branches are at least 8 feet off the ground over sidewalks.
  4. Prune back any shrubs growing over sidewalks.
  5. Make sure that tree branches don’t block street lights from illuminating sidewalks after dark.
  6. Don’t use parking strips (a.k.a. planting strips) for growing anything over about a foot high. It can obstruct the view of drivers and could lead to tragic accidents. Grow your veggies and flowers in your yard. Public safety should not be compromised.

And the government should not allow developers to block sidewalks for construction projects. This is unfair to pedestrians and can lead to bus riders missing bus connections at transfer points.

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Natural drainage systems in sidewalk construction

In Crosscut, Roger Valdez looks at the impacts of traditional sidewalks on the environment. A Washington State Department of Transportation study unsurprisingly shows a benefit from installing sidewalks.

Here’s the key paragraph from the study:

The results provide early evidence in the potential effectiveness of sidewalks to reduce CO2 and VMT [vehicle miles traveled], in addition to a mixed land use pattern, shorter transit travel and wait times, lower transit fares and higher parking costs. Sidewalk completeness was found to be marginally significant (at the 10 percent level) in reducing CO2, and insignificant in explaining VMT.

In this sense the term “marginally” might read as “small.” But in a research context “marginally significant” also means sidewalks can make a difference along with other factors to significantly reduce CO2 emissions.

However, pavement is impermeable, blocking rainwater from being absorbed by the ground and redirecting it to the storm sewers that send it to Puget Sound.

After it rains, water hits all that pavement and it starts rolling around, picking up the petroleum drippings from cars, pesticides from lawn care products, and a legion of other things that end up harming fish and other creatures trying to survive in urban creeks and streams. Ultimately, all that water winds up in the Puget Sound, where the Partnership for Puget Sound says at least two species of salmon are threatened with extinction because of stormwater runoff.

Valdez supports natural drainage systems, like the one installed on NW 110th St. These narrow the roadway and include landscaping to collect rainwater runoff, reducing the amount of rainwater and pollutants channeled into the Sound.

The project that Valdez references was constructed by Seattle Public Utilities whereas most sidewalks are constructed by SDOT.

However, the city’s 2009 Stormwater Code requires SDOT to consider green stormwater infrastructure. SDOT spokesperson Marybeth Turner says:

This means that where space is available and it is technically feasible, elements such as bioretention swales, porous sidewalk, and new street trees are required to be installed adjacent to the new sidewalk in the planting strip between the sidewalk and street. These measures are meant to infiltrate or reduce the surface water generated from the impervious surface of the sidewalk before it reaches the gutter and eventually the drainage system and Puget Sound.

There are several current SDOT sidewalk projects that include green stormwater infrastructure elements. On these projects, SPU is “providing guidance with respect to maintenance requirements and direction on standards requirements.” These projects include NE 55th and Ravenna intersection improvements, Linden Ave N Complete Streets Project, and “numerous neighborhood sidewalk projects funded by the Bridging the Gap transportation initiative,” according to Turner.

While these sidewalks take cues from the green drainage designs that SPU has developed, this design cannot be applied everywhere. “The space may not be available, the pollutant loading too great, the soils may not be conducive, and there are in most cases numerous other utilities which may be in conflict,” Turner says

Still, it’s good to know that the city is working to limit negative side effects of new sidewalk construction. Now, if only they could build more of them.

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Improvements to Ravenna intersection

The intersection of NE 55th Street, Ravenna Boulevard NE and 22nd Avenue NE will be seeing some improvements soon. The intersection will be reconfigured to be safer for pedestrians. New pedestrian ramps will be added and the crosswalks will be restriped. SDOT has a PDF of the new design, which also includes a bioswale and new green space. This project is being funded by Bridging The Gap and the Neighborhood Projects Fund.

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How SDOT chooses which sidewalks to improve

SDOT is currently selecting pedestrian improvements for 2011. Their blog gives some insight into this process:

Seattle’s Pedestrian Master Plan places a high value on data to determine where new projects will be built. SDOT planners utilize a wide variety of information when deciding where to build new sidewalks – existing facilities, the potential demand for new infrastructure, traffic volumes, street width, and socioeconomic and health factors to name just a few. The goal of this analysis is to focus investment in new infrastructure where people need it most. Once our data has been run through a Geographic Information System (GIS), our planners visit candidate project locations to ensure that the new facility can be built within our budget. If the project cost estimate exceeds the budget, we seek funding from other sources to complete the project.

SDOT has identified 9 locations in the city to build new sidewalks:

  • N 125 th Street between Greenwood Ave N & the Interurban Trail (north side)
  • 26 th Avenue NE between NE 125 th-127 th Streets (west side)
  • 8 th Avenue NE between NE 106 th St & NE Northgate Way (west side)
  • College Way N between N 97 th-100 th Streets (west side)
  • S McClellan Street between 25 th & 26 th Avenues S (north side)
  • 1 st Avenue S between S Dawson & Bennett Streets (west side)
  • 4 th Avenue S between S Fidalgo & Front Streets (east side)
  • SW Cloverdale Street between 8 th-9 th Avenues SW (south side)
  • SW Barton Place at 22 nd Avenue SW

Visit the Sidewalk Development Program website to see a map of these improved sidewalk locations.

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This year’s new sidewalks

Pedestrians can look forward to 9 new sidewalks this year. SDOT carefully prioritizes sidewalks by looking at conditions along the roadway as well as location in the city. Roads that are unpleasant to walk along because they lack sidewalks and have high traffic volume would score high on the first category. Areas in the city that are well-used by pedestrians and are important for pedestrian mobility score well on the second criterion. The streets that will be receiving new sidewalks this year scored high on both.

SDOT is currently planning to build sidewalks in the following locations in 2011:

  • N 125 th Street between Greenwood Ave N & the Interurban Trail (north side)
  • 26 th Avenue NE between NE 125 th-127 th Streets (west side)
  • 8 th Avenue NE between NE 106 th St & NE Northgate Way (west side)
  • College Way N between N 97 th-100 th Streets (west side)
  • S McClellan Street between 25 th & 26 th Avenues S (north side)
  • 1 st Avenue S between S Dawson & Bennett Streets (west side)
  • 4 th Avenue S between S Fidalgo & Front Streets (east side)
  • SW Cloverdale Street between 8 th-9 th Avenues SW (south side)
  • SW Barton Place at 22 nd Avenue SW

2011 Sidewalk Projects

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Asphalt walkway on 15th Ave NE

A reader sent in photos of a new asphalt walkway on 15th Ave NE between 94th and 97th St. This project was requested by the community and funded by the Neighborhood Projects Fund.

Asphalt walkway on 15th Ave NE
Asphalt walkway on 15th Ave NE

Better than nothing I suppose, but assuming they survive the elements over the next 5-10 years, what’s to prevent them from becoming parking strips for local residents and their guests? Nor do they connect with the nearest bus stop. Meanwhile we hear about the ‘war on cars’. I think that war was lost years ago.

While the new asphalt walkway certainly isn’t as good as a legitimate sidewalk, it does appear to be better than what was there before.

15th Ave NE before walkway construction

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Last year’s improvements thanks to Bridging the Gap

The Bridging the Gap transportation levy approved by voters in 2006 continues to pay dividends for pedestrians. Last year, SDOT announces, the levy paid for 15 blocks of new sidewalk and repairs to 23 blocks of existing sidewalks. 40 intersections received new pedestrian countdown signals. There were also 42 crossing improvements and 630 crosswalks re-striped.

Since 2006, 69 blocks of new sidewalk have been constructed and 89 blocks have been repaired. 3,312 crosswalks have been re-striped. The program will continue through 2016, so we should continue to see many important improvements to pedestrian infrastructure.

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What’s on your pedestrian wishlist?

While it’s disappointing that the city council rejected proposed funding for the Pedestrian Master Plan, good infrastructure is only part of what makes for a walkable city. There are some things that can be done without millions of dollars for new sidewalks or crosswalk signals.

Here’s my low-budget pedestrian wishlist:

  • Reduce the number of sidewalks and crosswalks blocked for construction – Building construction has slowed and fewer sidewalks are blocked for private construction. Still, SDOT projects like McGraw Square and the Mercer Corridor project are inconveniencing pedestrians. Sidewalk and crosswalk closures negatively impact people on foot, who in some cases have to cross busy streets twice. In order to reduce the inconvenience to Seattle’s pedestrians, I’d like to see the city limit sidewalk and crosswalk closures.
  • No “push to cross” buttons anywhere with a WalkScore above 90 – Intersections where pedestrians have to push a button to cross are the default in suburban places like Puyallup. In walkable urban areas of Seattle, these buttons are out of place. While the buttons may make sense late at night or early on weekend mornings when signal cycles are short, the standard style of button gives no indication of whether it needs to be pushed to change the signal for pedestrians. During busy hours of the day people on foot shouldn’t be forced to wait minutes at an intersection because they didn’t push the button. Removing these buttons, or at least changing signals to automatically allow pedestrian movement, would be a powerful way to let pedestrians know that they are important and to improve pedestrian movement in Seattle’s most walkable areas.
  • No right on red anywhere with WalkScore above 90 – Drivers have to be aware of many things in order to turn right on red. Conflicts between walkers and drivers are inevitable in popular pedestrian areas. Disallowing right on red in Seattle’s most walkable areas would keep people on foot safer. Unfortunately, this would probably raise objections from drivers as it would reduce vehicle flow.
  • Issue citations to drivers who block crosswalks – There are some intersections where heavy vehicle traffic often blocks crosswalks (and cross-traffic). While I can empathize with drivers who proceed through the intersection not knowing that they’re going to get stuck, legal enforcement could help pedestrian movement (and vehicle movement too).
  • Recalibrate all countdown timers to allow for safe crossing – Some crosswalk signals start their “don’t walk” countdowns with only 6 seconds to go. Not all pedestrians can walk quickly enough to cross in the little warning time given. Some intersections in tourist-friendly areas (e.g. near Pike Place Market) already have very long countdowns. By adding more time to the crosswalk countdown in other parts of the city, slower-moving people will be able to cross intersections more comfortably and all pedestrians will have a better chance to make it through an intersection.
  • Re-direct loudspeakers at parking garages – Many downtown parking garages and alleys are equipped with loudspeakers directed at pedestrians that say “Warning: vehicle approaching”. Pedestrians have the right of way on the sidewalk, so shouldn’t drivers be warned that pedestrians are in the area instead of the other way around? Requiring garages to change their loudspeakers to ask drivers to watch for pedestrians would send the message that cars are not more important than people just because they are bigger.

We might see all of these wishes granted in a walkers’ wonderland, but in reality we won’t see any of these this year. And, in a car-oriented American city like Seattle, some of these measures would be controversial. Still, each of these wishes would help Seattle to reach its goal to become most walkable city in the nation.

So, what’s on your pedestrian wishlist?

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S Columbian Way improvements

SDOT has made several improvements along South Columbian Way. In addition to re-striping the roadway and installing curbs, the sidewalks have been raised and re-paved. These improvements create a safer and more pleasant pedestrian environment.

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Neighborhood improvements by SDOT

It’s always exciting to see the before and after photos that SDOT shares from neighborhood pedestrian improvements. Click for photos and more details on improvements at Ravenna Ave NE and Lake City Way NE as well as Lakeview Blvd and Harvard Ave E.

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