What Transportation Issues Should We Focus on in 2017?

The Greenwood Community Council’s Transportation Committee wants to hear from you! What issues are of interest to you in 2017? What transportation items would you like to learn more about? Are there specific issues that you’d like to advocate around? 

Please leave a comment on this page indicating what transportation issues are of interest. We’ll follow-up with a meeting in February, 2017 which will be an opportunity to drill down into any ideas that have been offered. 

18 thoughts on “What Transportation Issues Should We Focus on in 2017?”

  1. We have pretty good bus service in our neighborhood, so protected bike paths are a priority for me.

  2. Sidewalks – at least on the busiest routes to encourage a more pedestrian oriented neighborhood (i.e around Sandel Park, Fred Meyer, 3rd Ave between 85th-90th). Of course I’m sure this has never been suggested 🙂

  3. We need adequate parking in and around the businesses on Greenwood and 50th or many of those businesses will be gone. Many of us older residents living on the downhill side of the Ridge cannot walk up and down as readily as we could, but want to continue to patronize them. There is no east-west public transportation between 85th and Market Street and never will be.

  4. There are high volumes of traffic on non-arterial residential streets. Many of these drivers are driving very fast and without regard for the residents in the neighborhoods. I would like to see speed mitigation efforts – roundabouts, curb bulbs, etc. to slow or disincentivize drivers on our residential streets.

  5. I agree with others here, we need more sidewalks east of Greenwood Ave between 85th and 105th. People drive way over the speed limit on these streets with little regard for the neighbors who live here. We need more ways to discourage this behavior. The roundabouts do little to slow drivers down as they try to get around the bad traffic on Greenwood and Aurora during rush hour.

  6. Sidewalks is #1: A protected way to get north and south from places like QFC and Carkeek park to Greenwood Center, with Sandal park and the neighborhoods in between.

    Crosswalks is #2: A dedicated crosswalk on 3rd Ave N between Holman and 85th. (How is it we don’t already have a crosswalk there?!)

    Bike lanes to connect to arterials #3: A protected bike lane to connect north Greenwood East/West to Greenwood Ave or 8th Ave NW… maybe as part of the 100th&92nd st additions.

  7. Slow down traffic in areas east of Greenwood Ave and north of 85th. Add a walking route; sidewalk, crosswalk, or protected lane. It can be scary walking, especially at night when visibility is low. It can be dangerous to walk with kids, even to get to the park.

  8. I agree with all of the above. To add to the comment before mine we need to find a way to slow traffic from 87th to 105th. There is on stop light and crosswalk from 87th to 105th and it only turns red if you push the crosswalk button. I see cars driving well over 50mph consistently. It makes it very dangerous to try and frogger across the street to get to a bus stop. There are 3 residential buildings planned for this stretch of greenwood in the next year. This means more people which makes it even more important that we get some stoplights, flashing crosswalks, speed patrols and signage.

    Thank you

  9. Sidewalks north of 85th between Aurora and 15th NW. As others have mentioned, people need to walk their kids to school and the park, AND a walkable neighborhood is also good for property values and for healthy recreation for us older folks who can’t dodge cars like we used to. Combining the sidewalk project with speed mitigation would be ideal.

  10. Cut-through traffic avoiding 85th, particularly on 84th, 87th, and 90th in the vicinity of the Fred Meyer. Particularly important with the school right there, and kids walking that way to get to and from the school. Also, around Sandel Park.

  11. As others have said, and said FOR YEARS, sidewalks above 85th Street. I’d like to see less emphasis on (underutilized, ableist) bike lanes and more on improving mass-transit options; more frequent bus service will help with traffic (and thus with traffic-related issues such as speeding in residential neighborhoods). I also agree with commenters who note that the crossing situation on Greenwood above 87th is ridiculous; the “traffic diets” are already frustrating enough for drivers without making the pedestrian-crossing process chaotic too.

  12. I live on Dayton Ave between 87th and 90th. I had to pay $2,000 out-of-pocket for sidewalks on my block. Traffic circles are useless because one driver may attempt to pass another driver on the opposite side (both on 87th and 90th). Also, I would like a sign on 87th stating No Parking South of Here. City regulations state it, but City reps told me that cars jammed up against the corner assist with “traffic calming.” I call BS on that tactic. There are 18 kids on my block put in daily danger because many drivers prefer to cut through Dayton to save a few minutes waiting at a traffic light.

  13. Sidewalks! I walk down 90th every day to catch the bus, sure would be nice to not be competing with cars.

  14. Crossing Greenwood Ave between 65th and 85th by any means (foot, bike, car) can be difficult due to line of sight issue. The hill climbs on both sides; parking on Greenwood Ave is usually right up to the corner. Drivers have to poke out into the bike lane, which also blocks the crosswalks. Drivers on Greenwood Ave can’t see peds behind the parked cars. A low-cost solution is to back off parking from the last 30 feet of the block. A mid-cost solution is to build what’s called “curb extensions” or “pedestrian bulbs.” See http://www.sfbetterstreets.org/find-project-types/pedestrian-safety-and-traffic-calming/traffic-calming-overview/curb-extensions/ for an example.

  15. Traffic calming on 8th Ave NW between 85th and 100th. This section of 8th is extra wide at 39 ft…leading to measured speeds over SDOT’s “excessive speeds” (15% of the drivers are driving 5 miles or more over the speed limit). The highest measured speed during a 2016 speed study was 89 mph. Crossing on foot, by bike or car can be treacherous.

  16. @Clay Schurman, if the speed study was done, then the city should have queued some calming measures. What action did SDOT take after the study?

  17. Attempting to summarize the above comments (from Jan-Feb 2017)…

    — PEDESTRIAN TRANSPORTATION:
    1) Crosswalks, notably:
    TBD (crossing 3rd Ave NW somewhere between 85th & Holman).
    TBD (crossing Greenwood Ave between 87th & 105th).
    2) Curb bulbs (https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/CurbBulbs.htm) (http://www.sfbetterstreets.org/find-project-types/pedestrian-safety-and-traffic-calming/traffic-calming-overview/curb-extensions/), notably:
    On Greenwood Ave between 75th and 85th in those locations where parking near the corner creates line-of-sight issues such that vehicles attempting to cross Greenwood Ave must creep into the Greenwood Ave bike lane.
    3) Sidewalks, notably:
    3rd Ave NW between 85th-90th.
    TBD (north-south access to QFC, Carkeek park, Greenwood Center).
    TBD (around Sandel Park).
    TBD (accessing Fred Meyer).
    TBD (east of Greenwood Ave between 85th and 105th).
    TBD (a portion of 90th Street).
    4) A walking route (Northeast of 85th/Greenwood Ave) w/ crosswalks & sidewalk or protected lane.
    5) The missing segment of Interurban Trail between 110th and the park at 87th (EDITOR’S NOTE: previously proposed and barely failed due to lack of advocacy manpower).
    6) Reallocation of spending on traffic circles to better uses.

    — BIKE TRANSPORTATION:
    1) Protected bike lanes, notably:
    TBD (east-west between Greenwood Ave & 8th Ave NW, perhaps @ 100th & 92nd streets).

    — AUTO TRANSPORTATION:
    1) Parking for access to businesses on Greenwood Ave, with land slope considered when estimating proximity.
    2) Incentivizing use of arterials over non-arterials (such as “84th, 87th, and 90th in the vicinity of the Fred Meyer… and Sandel Park”).

    — BUS TRANSPORTATION:
    1) More frequent and diverse bus options.

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