Monthly Archive for May, 2011

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Roadways safer than ever in 2010 but not safe enough

May 10, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 6:13 am - Closed

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission reports that there were fewer traffic fatalities in 2010 than any year on record. SDOT Blog shares how the Seattle Department of Transportation works to make streets safer:

SDOT frequently partners with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission to help improve safety on Seattle streets. We are currently working with the Commission on the Aurora Traffic Safety Project which, as previously reported, has been able to reduced collisions on Aurora Avenue North by more than 20 percent in the past year. From 2006 to 2008, SDOT and the Traffic Safety Commission partnered on the Rainier Corridor Traffic Safety Project which improved safety on Rainier Avenue in Southeast Seattle. SDOT also seeks Traffic Safety Commission grants annually to fund school zone flashing beacons. Flashing beacons have been shown to be one of the most effective ways to improve safety in school zones and can currently be found at more than 35 Seattle schools.

There is still a long way to go to reach Target Zero, a goal shared by transportation agencies in Washington state. SDOT encourages everyone to follow traffic laws and try to get around safely, but many roads in the city are still unsafe by design. Of all roadway users, pedestrians are most likely to die in a collision and dozens have been killed in the past five years. Asking drivers to slow down isn’t going to fix everything. To take safety seriously, SDOT needs to focus on designing roadways safer.

One way to do that is to continue implementing road diets where possible and looking at other ways to slow drivers down. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling 40 mph is 85% likely to die, whereas a pedestrian struck at 30 mph has a 45% chance of death. Look at the map of pedestrians killed in the past five years and take note of the streets where pedestrians have been killed. How many of these fatalities happened on a street with at least two lanes of traffic in one direction?

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SDOT counting peds and bikes this week

May 9, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 6:10 am - Closed

From SDOT Blog:

SDOT will be conducting pedestrian and bicycle volume counts at more than 50 locations across Seattle from May 10th to May 12th as part of the National Bicycle & Pedestrian Documentation Project.

Following a consistent, nationally recognized methodology will improve the quality and consistency of our data, and also increase the frequency with which we collect this type of data. The information we collect will document current levels of walking and biking, help us measure our progress towards increasing the number of people who walk and bike, and help make the case for additional investments. We plan on collecting pedestrian and bicycle volume information for times per year with our next count taking place in July.

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Improvements on Aurora

May 5, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 6:29 am - Closed

As part of the Aurora Traffic Safety project, which has been reviewed here (part 1, part 2), the intersection with Halladay St will be improved. This intersection has one of the highest amounts of crashes for motor vehicles (nearly 20 per year), and also poses danger to pedestrians due to vehicles turning off Aurora at a high rate of speed. The new traffic island at this intersection will be constructed with concrete and feature new curb ramps and a better walking surface for pedestrians.

Additionally, radar speed limit signs will be installed at five locations along Aurora. These signs have been shown to reduce vehicle speeds by 3-5 miles per hour. The high speed of traffic along Aurora is one reason why it has so many fatalities.

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Walk at Colman Park this Saturday

May 4, 2011: published by Troy Heerwagen at 6:35 am - Closed

For those of you looking to get out and walk this weekend, there’s an opportunity to join a guided walk this Saturday morning.

Joan Burton and Duse McLean will be doing their monthly walk from their book, Urban Walks, 23 Walks through Seattle’s Parks and Neighborhoods, Saturday, May 7.

With the good weather, we thought it would be a good time to do a walk in one of our favorite parks, so please join us for this month’s walk in Colman Park, on the shore of Lake Washington.

Colman Park is one of Seattle’s beautiful Olmsted parks, designed by the Olmsted Brothers Firm early in the 20th century. We’ll meet at the lower end of the park, along the shore of Lake Washington Boulevard, and walk up through the park to the top side of the park at 31st Avenue So.and end up back down at the lake shore. The walk isn’t long, but it is uphill. For those wanting a longer walk, Mt. Baker Park is just a little south of Colman Park and you can easily add it on after our walk.

Meet at 10 a.m. in the parking lot along the lake shore, a little south of the I-90 floating bridge: 1800 Lake Washington Blvd.

Free! No reservations – just please join us.

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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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