Archive for the 'issues' Category

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Vote Yes on Proposition 1 for Transportation Improvements

October 22, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 2:56 pm - Closed

Potential Sidewalk Projects

Ballots have been mailed for this year’s most important transportation measure. The proposition has something for everyone, as it would double funding for sidewalks, improve transit, expand bicycle infrastructure, and fix potholes.

Streets for All Seattle has a wealth of information on what the proposition funds. As related to pedestrian infrastructure, the proposition would fund a variety of improvements around the city, shown on the map at right, and explained by Streets for All Seattle:

A $44 million investment in our neighborhoods will double our city’s annual investment in new sidewalks, add hundreds of crossing improvements and new pedestrian countdown signals, expand family-friendly bicycle infrastructure, fund the completion of a freight master plan, and expand the Neighborhood Street Fund by nearly 50% to provide more sidewalks, safe crossings, and other safety needs identified by neighborhood councils.

This funding will come from a $60 car tab fee that will be levied for the next ten years. While opponents charge that the fee is regressive and impacts poorer drivers more than richer ones, it will make it easier to get around without a car. Sightline does a good job of putting this $60 fee in perspective of the overall costs of car ownership.

If you already support this, Streets for All Seattle is making a big push to voters:

Ballots have dropped. Now it’s time to vote yes on Prop 1.

There’s 380,000 registered voters in Seattle — and the best way to convince them to vote yes is with face-to-face conversations. That’s why we’re holding a huge canvass on October 23rd to talk to thousands of people.

Let us know that you’re coming to The Big Neighborhood Canvass this Sunday >>

Proposition 1 is a down payment on becoming a 21st Century great American city. Designed by a citizen panel, Prop 1 will connect our neighborhoods with fast, reliable transit service, double our annual investment in sidewalks, nearly double the number of neighborhood repaving projects we do every year, and expand family-friendly bicycle infrastructure. Prop 1 is thousands of smart, simple improvements that will make our transportation system work better for everyone.

But our opponents are working to defeat us with a deceptive campaign that has mis-stated facts and mis-represented who their supporters are. In fact, our opponents are supported by the president of the Seattle Republican Party and their main funder is an anti-transit land barron.

With ballots in everyone’s mailboxes, we’ve got to double-down and talk face-to-face with thousands of Seattle voters this weekend.

Join us on Sunday for The Big Neighborhood Canvass >>

Details:
Day: Sunday, October 23rd
Meet: 11 a.m. at the Sierra Club Office, 180 Nickerson St.
End: 3-4 p.m.

If you have time for just one volunteer activity this election season, this is the one you should do. After you RSVP, we’ll send you additional details.

Vote yes on Proposition 1 to make Seattle a better, more walkable city, and get out and encourage others to do so as well.

Closed. Tags: politics, Streets for All Seattle. issues

SDOT stairway maintenance may be cut

October 20, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 8:52 pm - 1 Comment

The city’s proposed 2012 would enact cuts at SDOT that would defer stairway maintenance, according to a KOMO news report.

Last year’s budget dedicated over $1 million for stairways, including maintenance and funding from the Bridging the Gap levy. This year, however, $200,000 may be cut from SDOT’s stairway budget. The cuts would impact maintenance, including eliminating two positions – a stairway design and inspection engineer, and a stairway construction worker.

The potential cuts would mean that the city would no longer perform regular stairway inspections and would instead rely on existing assessment to prioritize improvements and maintenance.

1 Comment. Tags: budget, SDOT, stairway. issues

City says no light signal for ped collision hotspot

September 21, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 10:59 am - 1 Comment

Capitol Hill Seattle reports on a dangerous intersection for pedestrians. An elderly man was recently hit at Pine & Boylston, as one of a few pedestrians who have been hit at that intersection over the past couple years.

SDOT studied the intersection but has indicated that a traffic signal isn’t the best solution. Spokesperson Rick Sherdian says, “Although this location did not meet the criteria for a signal, SDOT will study the types and causes of the collisions that have occurred at this location and determine what other traffic devices or methods could improve safety here.”

Sheridan explains the process that SDOT will go through in evaluating this intersection.

SDOT’s evaluation will review sight lines, markings, signs, pavement condition, time-of-day patterns, day-of-week patterns, bus zone placement, traffic volumes, distance to traffic signals and field observations. We will also study collision reports for any patterns of contributing pedestrian or motorist behavior. Given our significant workload, SDOT aims to complete this by year’s end.

That’s a long time to wait for a solution to be identified, but hopefully SDOT can address this problem before someone else is injured.

1 Comment. Tags: Capitol Hill, collision, safety. issues

Should jaywalking laws change?

August 2, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 6:14 am - 1 Comment

Pedestrians in Seattle, unlike those in some other American cities, often seem hesitant to jaywalk. While that may show us to be a patient and obedient sort of people, strict obeisance to marked crosswalks can impede pedestrian mobility as broken pedestrian signals add time to pedestrians’ perambulations.

Waiting for light signals adds up to a lot of wasted time and reduces the efficiency of walking compared to other modes of transportation. This seems to conflict with the goal of the city’s Walk, Bike, Ride program to make walking one of the easiest ways to get around.

For what it’s worth, only 1 of 4 city council members who participated in our Q&A clearly denied ever jaywalking.

By voter-approved ordinance, marijauna use is the city’s lowest-priority law to be enforced by the city. Our city council members are willing to admit to jaywalking, but would they admit smoking pot? If jaywalking is something that even our elected officials do, should jaywalking be the new lowest law-enforcement priority?

Or should the laws change? Should we make jaywalking legal unless it obstructs other vehicular movement?

[poll id=”10″]

1 Comment. Tags: jaywalking, poll, question. issues

How did the recent closure of Pike Pl affect vendors?

July 25, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 6:45 am - 2 Comments

Drivers are currently not allowed to drive through Pike Place Market due to ongoing construction and road closures.

Some people feel that Pike Place Market should be closed to vehicles permanently. Vendors, however, prefer that the road remain open. Last year, we asked if the road should be closed and respondents came out heavily in favor of the idea. This is a walking blog, though, so that probably skewed the results.

If this were a real journalistic outlet, we would conduct interviews with vendors to provide some perspective. As it is, I can only offer my opinion that the Market is better off without cars.

Has anyone else been there with the road closed? How do you think it worked out?

2 Comments. Tags: Pike Place market, question. issues

Blocking us from walking: Old red truck

June 1, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 12:37 pm - 3 Comments

This truck was spotted completely obstructing the sidewalk in Wallingford:
Red truck blocking sidewalk

We’re running a series to point out drivers who obstruct pedestrian mobility in the city. This includes drivers obstructing crosswalks, vehicles parked on sidewalks, delivery trucks blocking intersections, and Metro buses running the light.

Examples of vehicles obstructing pedestrian and bicycle movement are common throughout the city. And, if you’re a driver, you’ve probably found yourself in the wrong position from time to time as well. By calling out the most egregious examples, hopefully we can remind all drivers to be more careful how they use their vehicles.

Upload your photo via our contact form and they may be featured on the blog.

3 Comments. Tags: blocking us from walking. issues

Blocking us from Walking

May 20, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 7:33 am - Closed

We’re starting a new series to point out drivers who obstruct pedestrian mobility in the city. This includes drivers obstructing crosswalks, vehicles parked on sidewalks, delivery trucks blocking intersections, and Metro buses running the light.

Examples of vehicles obstructing pedestrian and bicycle movement are common throughout the city. And, if you’re a driver, you’ve probably found yourself in the wrong position from time to time as well. Still, by calling out the most egregious examples, hopefully we can remind all drivers to be more careful how they use their vehicles.

Upload your photo via our contact form and they may be featured on the blog.

Driver blocking crosswalk

Closed. Tags: blocking us from walking. issues

Help make 12th Ave E safer

April 20, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 10:01 pm - Closed

From Capitol Hill Seattle:

Walking on 12th Avenue East between E Madison and E Prospect could get easier and safer soon. At least that is the hope of the Capitol Hill Community Council, which has been awarded a $17,000 from the Department of Neighborhoods for the 12th Avenue East Transportation Safety Initiative. But it’s a matching grant, so people will need to volunteer their time and effort to match the cash.

People interested in helping are urged to attend the CHCC’s meeting at 7 PM April 21 in the Cal Anderson Park Shelter House. If you can’t make the meeting, email the council at chcc.officers@gmail.com.

Click here for more info from Capitol Hill Seattle

Closed. Tags: Capitol Hill, safety. issues

What do you dislike most when you’re walking?

April 15, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 7:25 am - 4 Comments

[poll id=”8″]

4 Comments. Tags: fun, poll. issues

Should signal countdowns exceed standard?

April 10, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 9:37 pm - Closed

Our earlier post about some Seattle crosswalk signals not meeting the federal standard has raised an interesting question. The post points out that most Seattle intersections start the flashing “don’t walk” signal using the old design standard based on a pedestrian crossing at 4 feet per second (fps). SDOT will be changing these signals over the next several years to meet the new standard of 3.5 fps to extend the pedestrian clearance time for people to cross in the pedestrian clearance interval once the “don’t walk” signal starts flashing.

Pedestrian Intervals from Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices

However, a reader asked, is meeting the standard good enough? “This isn’t about ‘meeting the standard.’ Are we a pedestrian friendly city? If we are, let’s lead and prioritize pedestrian mobility.”

So, should signals in Seattle allow more time for pedestrians to cross once the don’t walk signal starts flashing by, for example, designing for a pedestrian traveling at 3 fps? The drawback to this would be that the walk signal (the only time during which a pedestrian can legally enter the intersection) would be shorter because the don’t walk signal would need to start flashing sooner. The good thing is that people who have started crossing would have even more time to get to the other side before cross-traffic starts moving. And, in reality, people would still cross the intersection after the don’t walk signal has started flashing and they would be given more time to get out of the intersection, though this change might increase the number of people who would be given a citation.

[poll id=”9″]

A better solution in my opinion would be for the countdown seconds to be displayed for the duration of the signal, so that even during the walk signal, people know how much time they have to get across. Unfortunately that is expressly against the MUTCD standard. Perhaps this is not recommended because it could give a conflicting message to people who are not used to seeing a walk signal with a countdown.

Anyway, what do you think?

Closed. Tags: crosswalk, original reporting, poll, signals. issues