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Q & A with City Council Member Sally Clark

May 2, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 5:16 pm - Closed

Sally ClarkWalking in Seattle is running a series to showcase the perspectives of prominent walkers in the city. This week’s Q&A is with Seattle City Council Member Sally Clark:

Walking in Seattle: Where is your favorite place in the city go for a walk?

Sally Clark: Depends on whether I’m with or without Bill, my dog.

If I’m with Bill, then a walk around Seward Park or up through Myrtle Edwards is my choice. However, he really likes a walk through the UW campus, too. The best walk event is when I have an un-programmed Thursday night. Bill and I can walk from our house in Brighton (south of Seward Park) to Columbia City to meet my partner for dinner. That’s a great neighborhood walk.

If I’m without Bill, perhaps skipping out of the office for fresh air, then a walk down to Pioneer Square for lunch at the Elliott Bay Café or something from Caffe Umbria.

Walking in Seattle: What do you like most about walking in the city of Seattle?

Sally Clark: I like the variety of options. You can do architecture walks in Pioneer Square or Capitol Hill or Magnolia. You can do a “poke around Pike Place Market” walk. You can wander South Lake Union down to the new park at the lake. In all of these you’re surrounded by what we’ve built. Or, you could opt to get lost in nature at Discovery Park, in Dead Horse Canyon or at Westcrest.

Walking in Seattle: What is the top thing you’d like to see improved for walking in the city of Seattle?

Sally Clark: I don’t think is particular just to Seattle. Those of us who drive have to remember we’re not in a race. Stopping to allow someone to cross is not a sign of weakness. Most of us are not brain surgeons on our way to emergency rooms.

Walking in Seattle: One last question – be honest, do you wait for the Crosswalk light?

Sally Clark: Official answer: Yes.

If you’d like to nominate a local walker to be included in this Q & A series, please use our contact form.

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Seattle rated a top city for walkers

May 1, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 9:23 pm - Closed

Seattle has been rated a platinum-level Walk Friendly Community by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center. This was the first year of the award and Seattle was the only city to receive a platinum rating.

In evaluating Seattle’s application, the reviewers were especially impressed with:
-The clear establishment of goals and measurable performance indicators in Seattle’s Pedestrian Master Plan;
-Seattle’s exemplary neighborhood traffic calming program;
-Seattle’s Right-of-Way Improvements Manual; and
-The city’s celebration of physical activity through the Celebrate Summer Streets program.

The reviewers also recognized that Seattle has exhibited a desire to become a community that supports active transportation, noting that, “the city is stepping outside the status quo and making an effort to improve walkability and health in the community.”

Responding to news of the designation, Christina Bollo, chair of the Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board, said “Walk Friendly Communities recognizes not only our incredible pedestrian infrastructure, but also pedestrian programs such as Celebrate Summer Streets. Celebrate Summer Streets contributes to all four goals of the Seattle Pedestrian Master Plan: safety, equity, vibrancy, and health. With the creation of the Pedestrian Master Plan, we set out to be the nation’s most walkable city and this award encourages us to keep pursuing that goal.”

This award is well-deserved. While it’s easy to be critical of the shortcomings in Seattle’s pedestrian infrastructure, Seattle’s attention to making walking an easy and safe way to get around the city is uncommon among American cities. The mayor had this to say:

“Kudos to the Seattle Department of Transportation and the community for making Seattle more walkable,” said Mayor Mike McGinn. “The recognition is great – and we’ll keep working on making Seattle a better place to live.”

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What to do when someone parks on the sidewalk

April 27, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 11:36 am - Closed
Asphalt sidewalk used for parking

Vehicle parked on asphalt sidewalk

Feel free to program these numbers for the Seattle Police Department into your phone in case you run into any conflicts with parked vehicles on your next walk.

  • For ongoing issues, contact the Parking Enforcement Unit at 206-386-9012 and they will come out and investigate what is going on and work to correct the issue through new signage or more regular enforcement.
  • For issues that may need more immediate attention, you can call SPD’s non-emergency number at 206-625-5011.
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Parking on any portion of sidewalk illegal

April 26, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 12:15 pm - 3 Comments

Just in case anyone was wondering, it’s illegal to park your vehicle on any portion of the sidewalk, even where the sidewalk intersects with your driveway. This applies to motorcycles and mopeds, not just cars. From the Seattle PI’s 911 blog:

It’s illegal to be parked on any portion of the sidewalk, Seattle Department of Transportation spokesman Rick Sheridan said.

He cited section 11.72.360 of the Seattle Municipal Code, which states: “No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle on or over a sidewalk, whether constructed or not.”

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Q & A with Feet First Executive Director Lisa Quinn

April 24, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 12:38 pm - Closed

Lisa QuinnWalking in Seattle is running a series to showcase the perspectives of prominent walkers in the city. This week’s Q&A is with Lisa Quinn, Executive Director of the pedestrian advocacy organization Feet First:

Walking in Seattle: Can you summarize what your organization does for pedestrians?

Lisa Quinn: Feet First is the only non-profit, pedestrian advocacy organization promoting walkable communities throughout Washington State. We help people take steps to create better places to live, learn, shop, work, and play – a world that cares about health, community and design. We develop Safe Routes to School programs, create Neighborhood on Foot walking maps, conduct walking audits, develop a statewide pedestrian safety curriculum, coordinate walking ambassadors, support active transportation policies, both locally and in Olympia.

Walking in Seattle: Where is your favorite place in the city go for a walk?

Lisa Quinn: I live in Ballard, and I love walking around my neighborhood. I frequent the farmers’ market on Sundays and make my way to the Locks and Golden Gardens.

Walking in Seattle: What do you like most about walking in the city of Seattle?

Lisa Quinn: Growing up in the ‘Inland Empire’ outside of Los Angeles, living here is like living in a postcard. And even after 12 year of living in the PNW, I still appreciate the natural beauty–especially on sunny days! I like lots of things about walking in Seattle. Surrounded with water, mountains and a beautiful city skyline Seattle gives a warm invitation to get out an explore places by foot.

Walking in Seattle: What is the top thing you’d like to see improved for walking in the city of Seattle?

Lisa Quinn: I would like the city’s budget to support its goal to be the most walkable city in the nation. While I am fortunate to walk safely and comfortably to the store, bus, library and to a friend’s house, there are a lot of people in Seattle who do not have the same ability. This is a huge equity issue. Putting people first should be a priority when developing new capital improvements. Until we see a serious shift in how city department budgets are approved, we might be shooting ourselves in the foot, as these projects can have the tendency to undermine pedestrian improvements.

Walking in Seattle: One last question – be honest, do you wait for the Crosswalk light?

Lisa Quinn: I do wait for crosswalk signal….I guess that makes me a true Seattlelite.

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Mayor walking for health

April 22, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 6:02 am - Closed

The mayor is taking a lead in supporting healthy lifestyles and outlines a few things the city is doing to address public health concerns, several of which support walking:

Walk, Bike, Ride: We launched an update to the Transit Master Plan that will take a 20-year look ahead to the type of transit system required to meet Seattle’s needs through 2030. In 2011, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will do projects in the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plans including 15 miles of bike lanes and sharrows, 20 miles of bicycle routes, re-marking 300 crosswalks, and 10 blocks of new sidewalks. focuses on creating great places in neighborhoods. Additional placemaking efforts will be integrated into urban design frameworks and include finding a solution to the Martin Luther King and Rainier intersection that enables buses, cars and pedestrians to move efficiently through the area, neighborhood plan updates as the Linden Avenue North Complete Streets project continues to take shape, and identifying the improvement necessary to make Metro’s new Rapid Ride corridors to Ballard and West Seattle walkable and comfortable for transit riders.

Encouraging Safe Routes to School: In 2011, SDOT will make the following improvements at 14 schools: four school-zone beacons, six signage improvements, new curb bulbs to improve pedestrian crossings at three locations, and sidewalk repair or maintenance at Concord Elementary and Van Asselt Elementary.

Creating great places: In 2011, we will work on land use and transportation changes near King Street station by developing a hub design strategy, pedestrian and bicycle wayfinding, streetscape improvements and bike parking. These projects will occur around light rail stations and King Street station in order to better make our transit hubs a part of our neighborhoods. And that helps make our communities more walkable.

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Stairway Walk in Fremont

April 19, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 8:09 am - Closed

If you’re looking for somewhere to walk this week to take advantage of the mostly sunny weather in the forecast, Seattle Stairway Walks shares a route through Fremont:

In 120 years of existence Fremont has undergone a long series of economic and social upheavals, played out in a tiny yet complicated geography of just 1.4 square miles. Out of this crucible has emerged a neighborhood with more color, energy and visual interest than perhaps any other in Seattle.

The Ship Canal marks the southern border of Fremont, and its lowest elevation. The terrain rises to the north, jumping from one small hill to another in the direction of Phinney Ridge. Where there are hills there are often stairways, and this walk traverses many of them. You’ll start with a short stroll along the wonderful 18-mile long Burke-Gilman Trail, which runs alongside the Ship Canal on its way through Fremont. Turning away from the canal and trail you’ll head north, climbing gradually up residential streets and stairways to Fremont Peak Park, near the northern limits of the neighborhood. After enjoying the park’s stunning views you’ll head back, exploring a charming series of stairs and narrow lanes along the eastern side of the neighborhood.

Click here to read more.

If you’d like to continue exploring Fremont, or walk it on more level ground, our Walking in Fremont walking route takes you through downtown Fremont.

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Q & A with City Council Member Sally Bagshaw

April 17, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 12:21 pm - Closed

Walking in Seattle is starting a new series to showcase the perspectives of prominent walkers in the city. Our first Q&A is with Sally Bagshaw, Seattle City Council Member, downtown resident, and frequent walker:

Walking in Seattle: Where is your favorite place in the city go for a walk?

Sally Bagshaw: I have walked to work every day since 2000. I walk the Waterfront, to our Parks, to our Seattle Center, and I walk around downtown every day. My office is only 8 blocks from my condo. A couple weeks ago when my office was having a pedometer-based walking challenge, I walked from downtown to the Metro Theaters in the University District so I could a) get over 15,000 steps and b) see what was going on in South Lake Union construction.

Walking in Seattle: What do you like most about walking in the city of Seattle?

Sally Bagshaw: The trees, the flowers, my neighbors, the clean air, our parks. And of course, exercise! I don’t run anymore, so aside from a round of golf, long walks are my favorite life-extending exercise.

Walking in Seattle: What is the top thing you’d like to see improved for walking in the city of Seattle?

Sally Bagshaw: My favorite question of all! I want to make the Lake to Bay Loop a reality. We are going to do this. We –to my delight– received money from the Feds to build our pedestrian/bike overpass over Elliott and the railroad tracks to connect the Waterfront to the Seattle Center. The RFPs went out this spring and I believe the contractor has been selected.

Also — working with our Parks Department and with our Parks Foundation I want to connect our Parks like Olmsted’s String of Pearls idea. I also want to create more Pedestrian Green Streets like 8th Avenue downtown where people can enjoy a long walk with widen sidewalks, trees, art, benches, pedestrian lights, good cafes along the way, and a vibrant local community. I’d like traffic to slow down a few m.p.h. to make our downtown safer. These are my goals for my Parks and Seattle Center Committee and I am really excited to be a part of this.

Walking in Seattle: One last question – be honest, do you wait for the Crosswalk light?

Sally Bagshaw: I do –most of the time — out of shame and the prospects of getting busted. But I will confess that at night when I’m walking home alone after dark I keep moving. I watch traffic carefully and I bolt across when it’s safe to do so.

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2009 Pedestrian Collision Statistics

April 14, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 8:09 am - 1 Comment

SDOT recently released their 2009 Traffic Report, which shows that there were 479 pedestrian collisions in Seattle that year. This was the first full year of data since SDOT began implementing recommendations from the Pedestrian Master plan, and the number of pedestrian collisions per capita dropped to the lowest level since 2004. Pedestrian collisions have increased over the past 10 years, but not at a greater rate than the population.

There were 24 fatalities on Seattle’s roads in 2009, and 11 of the people killed were pedestrians. This ties with 2003 for the most pedestrians killed in a year during the decade. Most of the fatalities occurred on major arterials and most were at intersections.

Another interesting fact is that the Seattle Police Department issued 1,274 citations for “pedestrian infractions”, which I can only interpret as things like jaywalking. They issued only 409 citations to drivers for not yielding the right of way to pedestrians. There were, however almost 30,000 citations issued to drivers in 2009, more than 20,000 of which were for speeding.

The main contributing factor in 45% of collisions was the driver’s failure to yield the right of way to the pedestrian and in 58% of collisions the pedestrian was not at fault. However, that means that in 42% of collisions there is something the pedestrian did to contribute to the crash. The most common thing was that the pedestrian was outside of the crosswalk. In several cases the person on foot disregarded the stop light or did not grant the right of way to the vehicle.

There was one instance of a pedestrian being hit apparently while sleeping.

Most collisions happened between 5-6 pm. The months with the most pedestrian collisions were November, December, and January, which accounted for over a third of the year’s collisions.

The statistics also show that people aged 5 through 24 account for a disproportionately high number of injuries.

The report shows pedestrian accidents throughout the city, with the majority occurring near downtown. Arterials like Rainier Ave, Madison, Lake City Way, and 15th Ave NE had several collisions each.

Tom Fucluoro has written two great write ups – one on Capitol Hill Seattle and the other on Seattle Bike Blog. Or, browse the report below to see more data:

2009 Traffic Report

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Vulernable Users Bill passes House

April 5, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 12:08 pm - Closed

The Vulnerable Users Bill, which would stiffen penalties against negligent drivers that hit pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable roadway users, has passed the state house. PubliCola has a longer write-up:

Kline’s legislation creates a new infraction where drivers who strike vulnerable users are subject to a $5,000 fine and restricted from driving for 90 days. Currently, drivers who strike vulnerable users in the second degree are subject only to a $250 fine. Opponents of the legislation such as Rep. Jay Rodne (R-5, North Bend) have argued in the past that vulnerable users shouldn’t be treated any differently than other car drivers.

This version differs from the version passed by the Senate, so this version will be sent to the Senate for final passage before being sent to be signed by the governor.

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