Let there be lights: California crosswalk; bridge LEDs

Two updates that both involve lights and roads:

First, thanks to the team at Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) for the tip that a new flashing-light crosswalk sign has gone up over California SW at Findlay (map). It’s one of three California SW intersections in a Neighborhood Street Fund project whose funding was noted here last year. The other two, SW Frontenac and SW Othello (both south of Morgan Junction), are also slated to get pedestrian-safety improvements this month – as reported here a few weeks back.

Second – we’ve been talking about the city’s ongoing conversion to LED streetlights, to save energy and money. A few West Seattle neighborhoods and side streets have seen some test installations. Now, there’s word that the entire West Seattle Bridge – from I-5 to the 35th/Fauntleroy end – is going to get LEDs as a “pilot” project testing them on arterials. This is according to the slides in a briefing presented to the City Council’s Energy, Technology and Civil Rights Committee on Wednesday. (The rest of West Seattle, as reiterated in the briefing, isn’t slated for conversion till 2012-2013.)

13 Replies to "Let there be lights: California crosswalk; bridge LEDs"

  • redblack March 3, 2011 (7:15 am)

    now, if they’d just do something about that giant lake at the wheelchair apron in the picture above.
    .
    just to color in my mental roadmap, this photo was taken south of west seattle nursery, facing northeast, right? (WSN isn’t located on google maps.)

  • miws March 3, 2011 (7:28 am)

    Facing southwest, redblack, from Ventana’s front yard. They are located in that cool, 100+ year old house, with the wrap-around porch, on the N.E corner. (Yay them for restoring the house, instead of tearing it down!)

    .

    The building we see on the corner in the pic is the 5601 Condo.

    .

    Mike

  • redblack March 3, 2011 (8:46 am)

    thanks, mike.

  • Ken S. March 3, 2011 (8:49 am)

    Hooray – That’s my crosswalk of choice for walks to C&P for coffee (& the rest of W. Seattle).

    Drivers are already usually good about stopping, but this will surely help even more.

  • bolo March 3, 2011 (10:28 am)

    “Now, there’s word that the entire West Seattle Bridge – from I-5 to the 35th/Fauntleroy end – is going to get LEDs as a “pilot” project testing them on arterials.”
    Maybe that’s why they’be been letting the bulbs burn out and not replacing them?

  • Jeff March 3, 2011 (11:18 am)

    Neat on the LED bridge lights. I’ve got one of the new ones on my street, and I kind of like it.

  • Ex-Westwood Resident March 3, 2011 (11:40 am)

    About time the City and County got smart!!
    LEDs are brighter, use much less power and last 1000s of hours longer than incandescent OR CFLs. The price of LEDs are dropping and they are 100 times “greener” than the CFLs that are being pushed on us. Those contain mercury which in ANY amount constitutes a HAZARD if the are broken and a really concern if they are thrown out like incandescent or LEDs.
    That is one reasons at Christmas time if you use LEDs you can string up to 50 stings together instead of the usual 5 of the mini bulbs.

  • JimmyG March 3, 2011 (11:51 am)

    Mixed feelings on this.

    It seems to give the signal to drivers to ignore the law that all intersections are legal crosswalks and that they only need stop at marked crosswalks.
    While I try to cross at the marked ones, it’s not always the best route and drivers on California seem not to know they’re required to stop at intersections when a ped is stepping out to cross.

  • JayDee March 3, 2011 (12:17 pm)

    The city is replacing burnt out lights (eventually) with new LED bulbs — The new lights seem brighter than the Na-vapor bulbs and have a wider spectrum of color. Two just went in on 57th and 56th south of Hanford.

  • redblack March 3, 2011 (12:46 pm)

    jimmy: it’s pretty much every ped for himself. drivers don’t seem to know most traffic laws – not just the requirement to stop for peds – so i never take them for granted whether i’m walking or driving. that i could be killed by ignorant, distracted, impaired, and/or aggressive drivers outweighs any vindication that i’d get for being right.
    .
    nonetheless, the law says you must stop for peds waiting to cross, whether the crosswalk is marked or not.
    .
    jaywalkers are fair game, though. :)

  • John March 3, 2011 (1:08 pm)

    Awesome. I love seeing other neighborhoods continually get funding to improve their streets when Arbor Heights has been ignored for pedestrian basic necessities for years and years. Still waiting for sidewalks. Not even that. Just give us a safe area to walk.

    • WSB March 3, 2011 (1:22 pm)

      John – do you know when the last application for Neighborhood Street Funds for sidewalks was made? These improvements are sought by communities and considered for the NSF – they’re not initiated by the city – I’ve watched many go through the process in the past several years of covering news for WSB. I know Arbor Heights doesn’t have a community council but you don’t have to have one to propose a project, as far as I know … TR

  • Sherry March 3, 2011 (6:45 pm)

    I live across the street from the condo and sit on the balcony watching people trying to cross and very few times do the drivers stop! I have seen drivers use the left hand lane to go around the stop car-so many near hits-if they do stop it is about 2 feet from the pedestrian and why does it happen-because they are still talking on their cell phones and not paying attention! The majority of the cars I see go by are talking on their phones! Then we have skate boards using the left turn lane and cars using it to pass slow moving cars.

Sorry, comment time is over.