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May

26

Seattle’s new approach to pedestrians

Filed Under Uncategorized 

In 2004 Councilmember Licata’s stepson, Joe Robinson sustained brain injuries as he rushed into the street at an allegedly unsafe crossing point. In 2006 Matthew Tatsuo Nakata, of City Councilmember Della’s staff was killed by a car in a West Seattle Crosswalk. A Council Ad Hoc Pedestrian Safety Committee was set up in January 2007. In 2008 the voters OKed Bridging the Gap Property Tax Levy funding for transportation maintenance and capital improvements.

Political will plus dollars: that’s what it takes. After years of demonstrations with a guy in a chicken suit at Seattle’s unsafe intersections by the ped. Advocates of Feet First, the way was clear for some planning and spending on pedestrian routes and crosswalks.

Seattle’s Pedestrian Advisory Board surfed on the new wave of City government enthusiasm by calling for a Pedestrian Master Plan and an Advisory Group. They worked with Barbara Gray of the Seattle Department of Transportation to do the basic planning.

This spring Ped Board Chair. Tom Williams and Pedestrian Master Plan Advisory Group Co-Chairs. Rebecca Deehr and Paulo Nuñes-Ueno rolled out the Pedestrian Master Plan to Councilmember and Mayoral candidate Jan Drago’s City Council Transportation Committee.

“This is important and historic work for Seattle that we couldn’t have done without the leadership of PMPAG,” said Councilmember Drago. Councilmember Licata added “to be a “walking city” we must give our citizens a safe city; I am committed to finding the funding to implement this plan after the Council approves it.”

The City Council release states that the Council is scheduled to review and approve the plan this year . This review will include a public hearing on July 21, 2009. But before that, the immediate next steps include: an extensive number of presentations of the proposed plan’s contents to District and Community Council Meetings.

There has been considerable latent support for creating and improving pedestrian routes and crosswalks in Seattle. Householders in the city’s annexed far north end, who live in less costly homes built under old County codes that required no sidewalks, have kept up a clamor for City-funded sidewalks on their residential blocks. Urban center stakeholders who have been blockaded by the Aurora in-city freeway and the Broad St. trench have been calling for new bike, pedestrian and transit connections. Seattle’s health-conscious residents have long criticized State transportation funding that gives individual motor vehicle travel first priority and shorts dollars for safe routes to schools, public facilities, shopping, and transit stops.

As Washington State, and even that other Washington, becomes more knowledgeable about health costs, it is clear that discouraging walking contributes to expensive chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardio-vascular diseases.

The Seattle Pedestrian Master Plan Goals are Safety, Equity (unique in US pedestrian plans), Vibrancy (create great places and support economic activity), and Health (promote health and prevent disease.)

The Seattle Pedestrian Master Plan Objectives utilizing $60 million over the next 6 years:
1. Complete and maintain the Pedestrian System outlined in the Plan: 158 blocks of new sidewalk, 18 important key unsafe intersections improvements, 579 smaller intersection crosswalks, concrete repair and replacement, tree and foliage pruning, crosswalk paint, ramps to crosswalks, etc.
2. Improve walkability on all streets (the pedestrian element of a “complete street.”)
3. Increase pedestrian safety.
4. Plan, design, and build complete streets to move more people and goods.
5. Create vibrant public spaces that encourage walking.
6. Get more people to walk to for transportation, recreation, and heath.

Is $60 million over 6 years enough to make a dent in Seattle’s big pedestrian problems? Advisory Group Co-Chairs Nuñes-Ueno and Deehr said, “No.” There must be continuing funding by Seattle and under the new State law that calls for transportation funding measures to support movement of people and goods, not just vehicles per hour.

by John Coney

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