Online petition launched by opponents of 35th SW speed-limit cut, rechannelization

An online petition was part of the community campaign to get the city to make safety improvements on 35th SW.

More than a year later, another online petition is asking the city not to reduce the speed limit or rechannelize 35th – both of which are key parts of the “design alternatives” announced in two March meetings (which begin on page 22 below):

We covered both meetings – March 10th here, and March 12th here – as well as the March 26th West Seattle Transportation Coalition briefing. It all traces back to an announcement by Mayor Ed Murray and Councilmember Tom Rasmussen more than a year earlier.

Neel says it goes too far. In feedback to SDOT, he wrote:

35th has been the major West Seattle arterial since West Seattle was platted! Everyone else who depends on it to help them get outta town don’t want it choked with “safety” improvements that, plain and simple, aren’t needed. Your own data shows that there isn’t much of a problem here, except for some concerns for pedestrian crosswalks toward the north end. So go fix that — don’t mess up the whole transportation system to ‘fix’ a problem that doesn’t exist. …

We like 35th just the way it is, but are also open to changes that will improve our throughput while maintaining proper regard for safety. And by this I mean the efficiency of the driver, not the road. I really don’t care how many vehicles per unit time you can accommodate (the road’s efficiency). I only care about the transportation efficiency — covering the maximum distance in the least amount of time. That’s the true measure of productivity: maximizing desired outcome(s) with the fewest resources.

The specific objections – and potential counterproposals – are all in the text of the petition, which you can see here. The city says it will present the final plan in June; in the meantime, comments are being taken by project manager Jim Curtin at jim.curtin@seattle.gov.

114 Replies to "Online petition launched by opponents of 35th SW speed-limit cut, rechannelization"

  • Scared to drive it April 10, 2015 (3:08 pm)

    These selfish people! I drive 35th daily to and from dropping my kids at day care and for work! 2 to 3 times each way. I try to almost NEVER SPEED above 35 and stay in the left lane. EVERYONE passes me relentlessly and constantly and aggressively. 35th has a major and terrible speeding issue and I want Mayor Murray to tell these selfish people they have no right to speed and endanger the rest of us. This petition is appalling and exemplies the poisoned “me first” attitudes.

  • Joe Szilagyi April 10, 2015 (3:14 pm)

    I’m not sure what to make of this petition except that it seems to be based around the assumption that SDOT is either lying, cooking the books, or is fundamentally incompetent. It has echoes of all the previous objections most of us have ever seen or heard against “road diets”, which have been done for nearly 40 years.
    .
    Twenty six times in Seattle since the 1970s. Were Mayors Ullman, Royer, Rice, Schell, Nickels, McGinn, and Murray all incompetent stewards?
    .
    Each time the fears proved unfounded and life continued just fine (but safer) after the diets. Details:
    .
    http://walkinginseattle.org/?p=2910
    .
    “Through usually controversial when proposed, 26 road diets have been successfully implemented in Seattle since the 1970s. Streets that have recently been rechannelized include Stone Way, Fauntleroy Way, Nickerson Street, and 125th Avenue.”

  • West Sea Neighbor April 10, 2015 (3:17 pm)

    One of the problems is that a *lot* of people drive *really* fast on 35th, way above the speed limit. The “covering the maximum distance in the least amount of time” mentality would seem to be an endorsement of that.

  • Then put SWAT on every corner April 10, 2015 (3:18 pm)

    Fine, no road diet and safety?
    Lets put SPD on every single corner of 35th Ave SW and put out so much speed radar coverage we may get cancer. You go 0.01 miles per hour over the limit and you get a ticket. 24×7 ruthless enforcement until we go one year on 35th with no accidents. Shall we escalate the game, illegal speed demons?

  • Marge Evans April 10, 2015 (3:24 pm)

    I have lived in Fauntlee Hills for over 20 years.
    35th Ave SW the way it is currently configured, in unsafe for anyone wanting to travel east to west or west to east. I think my neighbors have forgotten about the cyclist that was killed at Graham. People drive way to fast on 35th Ave SW. I assure most drivers are not driving 35th mph on 35th Ave SW. I attended the first meeting. The people that were in the room were in favor of speed reduction on 35th Ave SW.

  • Craig April 10, 2015 (3:32 pm)

    YAY! GOOD FOR THEM! THE OVERKILL HAS GOT TO STOP!! I FOR ONE, HOPE THIS SUCCEEDS.

  • D DelRio April 10, 2015 (3:58 pm)

    Why can’t we just put speed cameras on 35th. First let’s try 10 miles over you will get a ticket. If that doesn’t work how about 5 miles over. I’m sure that would slow cars down quickly. It sure has worked at the school zones. Think of all the revenue the city can make.

  • waitasec April 10, 2015 (3:58 pm)

    I’m down for massively increasing radar and cameras at all hours of the day and night. Let us Go Forth and Ticket the snot out of these yahoos.

    Risk of investing as a resident in a big city is the obligation of the city to address public safety. Your time trials on 35th are irrelevant.

  • KM April 10, 2015 (4:07 pm)

    Confused as to why this petition is selfish, but I’ll sign it based on the shaming comments alone.

  • Seattlite April 10, 2015 (4:08 pm)

    I just got home after driving 35th ave sw from Westwood Village to Morgan St. I did the speed limit, 35mph. Every car passed me doing between 40 and 50 mph. Something needs to be done about the habitual speeding on 35th ave sw. Safety comes first before anything else. The faster the speed the less control the driver has to respond to dangerous driving situations.

  • PG April 10, 2015 (4:12 pm)

    I think most people in West Seattle agree that 35th could be safer. But it is the main North South arterial and carries a lot of traffic – more than Derringer or Fauntleroy. Safety improvements would be good but I really believe we need more than one lane either direction.

  • Jason April 10, 2015 (4:16 pm)

    This is dismaying, and I really hope that SDOT does what it knows is right and ignores this selfish petition and implements Option A as soon as possible.

  • David Keith April 10, 2015 (4:19 pm)

    You can only put speed and automatic radar cameras in school zones for speeding. State law. If you don’t road diet to control speeds you would need to spend $100,000 a year on extra police coverage.

  • Neighbor April 10, 2015 (4:20 pm)

    As a pedestrian who crosses this street on foot every day, I wonder if there is a way to petition against these petitioners. I bet they’re the ones who run the red light at the pedestrian crossing. It amazes me how often drivers honk at me when I trigger the red light to safely cross in the cross walk. Seriously, petitioners, get a clue. 35th is not an expressway. I really hope the city continues with the road diet. I doubt the opponents of the road diet care about studies and statistically generated support for them, but just in case, here’s another: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/10053/

  • Entitlement Culture April 10, 2015 (4:21 pm)

    “Confused as to why this petition is selfish”
    .
    Because it’s all based around the idea that speed limits are bad and that society has no right to tel you to NOT speed.
    .
    Everyone who signs this thinks they are entitled to pass me at 40 to 55 miles per hour on 35th.

  • CE April 10, 2015 (4:25 pm)

    If we’re going to be anecdotal, I just got home from traveling 35th between Morgan and the bridge and I drove behind a car going 30 for most of the way. Other cars near me seemed to be hovering right around 35.

  • jwright April 10, 2015 (4:25 pm)

    I find it very frustrating to argue with people who do not believe hard data. People who choose to believe “Delridge is a total cluster!” anecdotes vs. bona fide numbers that show, no it isn’t a cluster, traffic didn’t divert, average trips don’t take a whole lot longer than before are never going to believe anything other than what they want to believe.
    .
    35TH Ave SW is a NEIGHBORHOOD ROAD, not an arterial. It is LINED WITH HOUSES! How many of these petitioners would feel safe with a speed limit of 35 on their road? The relentless insistence that 35tTH is an arterial reveals a total disregard for the people who live on that road.
    .
    I have faith that the folks at SDOT know what they are doing. I trust that they keep up with the latest trends on road safety and design philosophy. I am confident that the data is there to support the approach they have chosen to take.
    .
    MY own anecdotal evidence is that I hate that there isn’t a left turn lane (when making a left turn I always pray the car coming up from behind at a high rate of speed notices that I am stopped with my turn signal on), crossing the street is dangerous (try it with a stroller), and I always have to look out for aggressive drivers changing lanes and speeding.
    .
    I drive 35TH Ave SW on a regular basis and I can’t wait for the coming changes!

  • maplesyrup April 10, 2015 (4:26 pm)

    As much as I don’t like the idea of slowing everything down, 35th is an accident waiting to happen. People drive way too fast, the lanes are too narrow, left-turners and buses block lanes so motorists swerve in and out, and it’s crazy for pedestrians.

    I’d rather be inconvenienced for a minute or two than see someone hurt or killed.

  • L April 10, 2015 (4:29 pm)

    Disappointing but not surprising to see a lot of knee-jerk criticism here from people who can’t be bothered to actually read the petition they’re criticizing.

  • ChefJoe April 10, 2015 (4:29 pm)

    Well said PG and D del Rio. Embracing the arterial nature and stepping up enforcement against excessive speeding is a much more $ efficient measure.

    Scared, you’re supposed to stay to the right, even on city streets and irrespective of the speed limit. See 3-14 and 3-15
    http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/docs/driverguide-en.pdf

  • Shaming speeders is BAD now? April 10, 2015 (4:33 pm)

    “Confused as to why this petition is selfish, but I’ll sign it based on the shaming comments alone.”
    .
    Hold on… are we in West Seattle actually now saying that it’s “shaming” to call out people speeding? You do realize that speeding is a CRIME, right? Are there any other illegal criminal activities we should not call out anymore, because it’s “shaming”?
    .
    You all realize that Mayor Murray championed this road diet, right? And that he’s been championing them for years, right? Is the Mayor shaming speeders, too?

  • richard April 10, 2015 (4:33 pm)

    After reading the petition submitted for road improvements to 35th ave and reading comments herein from concerned citizens of the community, it is clear that we should not spend millions of tax payer dollars to reduce this key arterial’s ability to move vehicular traffic from point a to point b but rather we need to enforce the posted speed limit. That is the role of the SPD and our tax dollars. The comments herein clearly express a concern with selfish drivers who carelessly disobey the law and endanger the safety of others.
    Reducing the traffic thru-put of this essential road on the backs of the majority of all the law abiding drivers is not the answer.
    Petition SPD instead, it will be more responsive than a 5 year construction project and have significantly less tax implications with better chance of results than permanently creating more traffic delays. The petition to modify 35th ave does nothing to change unsafe driver’s disrespect for the speed limit , they will still act and behave recklessly no matter what road they drive on until they are stopped.

  • valvashon April 10, 2015 (4:34 pm)

    It probably does carry more traffic than Fauntleroy, and I’m almost positive that it carries more than Derringer. That out of the way I can’t believe that anybody would start such a petition. I lived right on 35th from 1998 to 2014 and witnessed and heard more speeding than on a Montana freeway and more crashes than a demolition derby. Add in the countless driver’s side mirrors (it really isn’t wide enough to park on 35th, at least not on the Northbound side) and it was a constant stream of carnage.

    I only wished I would have started taking pictures of all the wrecks and cars just sitting on the side of the street, often for days, smashed in from behind. You know they didn’t drive there that way, they were struck by some out of control speeding driver. I would have had almost weekly pictures for what could have been a very telling blog/tumblr/FB/pintrest page. I myself got lightly rear-ended by grandma-who-was-long-past-the-point-of-being-able-to-properly-control-her-car just before she plowed into the back end of another car at what had to have been 50+ MPH. Why was she going so fast? Probably because everybody else was, but she couldn’t handle it.
    A single lane each way would have slowed her down since two lanes lead to racing, and a dedicated turn lane would have kept me from pulling out in front of her (I didn’t see her when I checked, and all of a sudden there she was because she was going so fast).

    We finally outgrew our house this last year and I really don’t miss it. I drove down to Target from the Admiral district on 35th the other day and had lost touch with how fast people drive and how scary it really is.

    Enforcing the speed limits is really not what this street needs. Lower speeds would not have prevented me from getting rear-ended, but a dedicated turn lane would. It’s the lane changing and the weaving in and out that causes the accidents. Trying to turn left at anything but a dedicated lane is just asking to get hit, either from behind or from oncoming traffic as there is often not a protected green arrow without a dedicated lane. I for one never turned left into my driveway unless it was really really off hours. I always turned left at Thistle and went around the block. It just felt safer that way.

    Please don’t sign this petition.

  • Les April 10, 2015 (4:36 pm)

    Why are there still arterials in West Seattle that don’t have sidewalks such as Marine View DR SW just south of Roxbury street?
    Is this really about pedestrian safety or does this city despise cars

  • wetone April 10, 2015 (4:43 pm)

    As a property owner on 35th I agree 100% that a great percentage of drivers drive over the speed limit and many aggressively, see it daily. Everyone agrees on that so why is there no SPD envolment? Since 2006 I have seen little if any SPD working area except when something tragic happened and then was very short time. This city for some reason has quit going after the people causing the problems and penalizes the good drivers with their rechanneling of roadways and many other things. I don’ t get it.

  • Ray April 10, 2015 (4:49 pm)

    Signing it.

    Why not ramp up speed enforcement before slowing down the entire corridor.

    Plus the online shaming on here is pathetic. THAT is selfish.

  • Blood in the streets of West Seattle April 10, 2015 (4:53 pm)

    There’s blood in 35th, it’s up to my ankles
    She came
    Blood in 35th, it’s up to my knee
    She came
    Blood on 35th in the town of West Seattle
    She came
    Blood on the rise, it’s following me
    Think about the speed limit
    .
    She came and then she drove away
    One lane in her hair
    .
    She came
    Blood in 35th runs a river of sadness
    She came
    Blood in 35th it’s up to my thigh
    She came
    Yeah the river runs red down the legs of 35th
    She came
    The women are crying red rivers of weepin’

  • L April 10, 2015 (5:06 pm)

    valvashon: “It probably does carry more traffic than Fauntleroy”

    It has a lot more daily trips than Fauntleroy.

    To be exact, for both roads south of Alaska, 35th carries from 30% to 110% more trips per day than Fauntleroy, depending on which stretch you’re looking at.

    Source: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/tfdmaps.htm

  • SGG April 10, 2015 (5:13 pm)

    Anyone signing this needs their head examined. The deaths, injuries, and collisions need to stop.

    What actually happens when they do these? Conditions get safer, and throughput stays the same or improves. A lot of the comments here cite people zipping by and passing. Guess what, adding a turn lane keeps the turning traffic out of the way, and keeps one lane flowing constantly. The current configuration has people jockeying back and forth across lanes to avoid people turning. Not that’s insane. I fully support this move.

  • Jeanine April 10, 2015 (5:17 pm)

    PG, was Derringer intentional, or an auto correct Freudian slip?

  • Militant Moderate April 10, 2015 (5:21 pm)

    Oh no! Won’t somebody think of the speeders and reckless drivers for whom safety and responsibility don’t matter??? Today, it’ll be reducing the speed limit. But, as we all know, that can only lead to America becoming a hellish dystopian gulag state! Paul Revere didn’t need any speed limits! And neither did Ronald Reagan while piloting the Mach 5 with his trusty companion Chim-Chim.

    #SpeedingDriversMatter
    #YouDont

  • dsa April 10, 2015 (5:24 pm)

    signed

  • clinker April 10, 2015 (5:25 pm)

    If the current speed limit is 35 and people drive 50 on it all the time, why would anyone assume that reducing it to 30 would be helpful?

    It seems like the correct solution is simply to have speed traps. The revenue generated should make up for the expense of the additional manpower required.

  • PSPS April 10, 2015 (5:26 pm)

    The position of those who think this is silly seems to go something like this: Driving is unnecessary. Everyone should ride a bike or the bus and not own a car. People who buy houses on major thoroughfares should expect the nature of the street to be changed to a bike path with, optionally, a single lane for the despised car, which should travel only at walking speed.

  • Twobottles April 10, 2015 (5:31 pm)

    Is there an anti-petition petition?

  • I'm Busy Too, But Really? April 10, 2015 (5:40 pm)

    This petition makes me so upset. Reducing the speed limit from 35 MPH to 30 MPH adds a measly 17 seconds per mile to your drive. And, it greatly reduces the potential that a pedestrian or bicyclist who is hit by a car will be seriously injured or killed.

    So, please enlighten us: Where are you all going that you can’t spare ONE MINUTE to make the world safer for the pedestrians, bicyclists, bus riders, and schoolkids that use 35th Ave every day?

  • Phillip April 10, 2015 (5:43 pm)

    I’d sign this in heartbeat. Most of the angst about 35th is NIMBYs who think speed necessarily equals unsafe. The number of accidents is hilariously low and doesn’t justify the cost or absurd reduction of a very important thoroughfare.

  • dcn April 10, 2015 (5:47 pm)

    @jwright, 35th is not only an arterial, it is a principal arterial, as defined by SDOT. Look at: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/streetclassmaps.htm, or http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/streetclassmaps/planwebsmall.pdf for the low-resolution street classification map. Calling it an arterial does not disregard the people who chose to buy a house on an arterial. Arterials are designed to keep traffic flowing on larger through streets, and off smaller side streets that were not designed to carry significant traffic loads.
    .
    And to say that traffic did not divert off Delridge when it was rechannelized cannot be completely accurate, since I diverted when they reduced the intersection at Andover from 4 lanes to 2 lanes and 2 bus lanes. This can cause mile-long backups on Delridge during the morning commute, and I got tired of the uncertainty of not knowing if there was going to be an extraordinary backup or not.
    .
    @Entitlement Culture: signing the petition does not mean people think it’s OK to drive 40-55 mph and that there should be no speed limits. Signing means that they think driving 35 mph is the correct speed for this principal arterial, and that four lanes are needed to keep traffic flowing through West Seattle.
    .
    I haven’t signed the petition, and don’t know if I will, since I have mixed feelings about the rechannelization plan. I feel that 35th desperately needs left turn lanes to cut down on the weaving that people describe. I think dropping the speed to 30 is overkill. Delridge speeds are usually not exceeding the 35 mph speed limit (and are often slower), and I find that most people are respecting the 20 mph speed limit near the K-5 STEM school now that the school speed limit lights are installed.
    .
    I worry that the people who do feel that speed limits do not apply to them will become ever more frustrated by reductions in efficient traffic flow on arterials. These are the people that I sometimes see using the middle turn lane on Delridge as a passing lane, and who will drive recklessly down non-arterials in order to avoid congestion on the arterials.

  • actually live on 35th April 10, 2015 (5:49 pm)

    What sort of elitists would support such a petition? Jwright above is absolutely correct. Its a neighborhood road. 35Th is not anyone’s personal freeway. The days of I-35 are over. Deal with it.

    And remember signing such a petition is akin to spitting on the families who actually live on it, and those who want to feel safe using it.

  • Craig April 10, 2015 (5:55 pm)

    Sounds like there’s a long list of possible design solutions in the proposal, and that’s good as the problem is complex. No, it’s not as simple as “those people” that speed being ticketed. Speeding to get around a slow bus or large truck on 35th, or speeding to get past a car going too slow in the right (larger) lane can be perceived as speeding that’s carried on for the entire route, but from the data there’s variable speed. If the plan addresses causes of higher rates of travel and puts in solutions (e.g. left turn lanes, or reduced lanes, or bus pull outs, etc) the need to speed could be alleviated. Those of you that are making this as simple as ticketing speeders don’t see the complexity of the issue nor the need for solutions that solve the root cause.

  • k Davis April 10, 2015 (5:56 pm)

    It is the nanny-state hysteria that has me laughing. I’ll sign this petition – a little common sense finally.

    It is just a fact that 35th is – IS – an arterial, and a major one. Is going 50 too fast on 35th? Yes. But 40? No. Sorry – just a fact. It is THE major north-south corridor from White Center to the Bridge. It needs to be left alone (no channeling and no speed reductions). Put in speed cameras to catch the 50mph guys (but leave me alone at 40).

    I’m sorry if you think that’s selfish – but I find this kind of overkill in street engineering ridiculous. We can’t baby-proof the world … deal with it.

  • Oakley34 April 10, 2015 (6:08 pm)

    I expect (and hope) SDOT stays the course. WSEA will be a safer and more pleasant place to live, and yes…it’ll take you ~2 minutes or so longer to traverse the length of the project. Small trade for safety and QOL.

  • valvashon April 10, 2015 (6:16 pm)

    http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t172/valvashon/WSB%20Photos/DSCF2766.jpg

    Share your 35th Ave SW Accident photos!

  • Mike April 10, 2015 (6:42 pm)

    Lower the speed limit to 30mph, enforce the law, lots of revenue and won’t need to fund a selfish group of people looking to burn government funds to please a selection of the population who can’t see channeling traffic will not prevent deaths of cars hitting people.

  • Adam April 10, 2015 (6:56 pm)

    More speed enforcement not slower speeds. The folks that are racing down the road are going to go fast even if the speed limit is 20 mph. It’s a major north/south road that is suppose to move traffic. Lived on Delridge for years and never heard an out cry for slower speeds. Maybe once you get up the hill those people are more important….

  • George T April 10, 2015 (7:13 pm)

    I’ve lived on 35th for years and traffic and speeds are increasing, families live along it, crossing the street to the bus stop is now an adventure. The several accidents near my house all resulted from cars waiting to make a turn. Setting up speed traps is not realistic solution.

  • Don Brubeck April 10, 2015 (7:23 pm)

    IF you could drive the full 3.3 miles from Roxbury to Fauntleroy at the speed limit, making every light, never slowing, the time difference between 35 and 30 mph would be only 60 seconds. Actual time difference will be less.

    Reducing the speed limit and making a center turn lane will reduce crashes. It could save a life of someone crossing the street to get to school or their bus stop. Can’t we do that?

  • vincent April 10, 2015 (7:36 pm)

    stay classy west seattle blog!

  • seattletimebandit April 10, 2015 (8:01 pm)

    So according to SDOT’s speed study presentation in the March 2015 report:

    “Posted speed limit 35 mph
    • 38.5 mph at SW Brandon St
    • 40.9 mph at SW Willow St
    • 36.5 at SW Roxbury St”

    Doesn’t appear that, on average, too many cars aren’t exceeding the speed limit at extremely dangerous speeds.

    http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/35thSW.htm

    Oh yeah, and I signed the online petition. ’cause I’m just that selfish…

  • W Seattlelite April 10, 2015 (8:58 pm)

    I will be signing this. In all the hysteria over speed limits, what is ignored the desire to go down to 1 lane each direction. Ludicrous. I don’t even mind a 30 mph limit but reducing lanes is stupid. There is no alternative going South and North on that part of West Seattle for that amount of traffic. 35th is just fine if people were to follow current traffic laws. Focus on that and quit trying to socially engineer behavior my changing the maze. Focus on enforcement.

  • heather April 10, 2015 (9:11 pm)

    Wow – reading comments I feel like one person has trolled under different names. I too use 35th daily – drive, walk. We all know it’s used like a freeway. It’s dangerous. Please reduce the lanes, decrease the speed – I will manage.

  • KT April 10, 2015 (9:24 pm)

    Want a fix? Someone make SPD do the job they are supposed to be doing.

  • 37thAVE-er April 10, 2015 (9:28 pm)

    Signed. It is an arterial. If you want a “residential” road, move to one.

  • KT April 10, 2015 (9:33 pm)

    “Its a neighborhood road.” Oh please, you make it sound like it is a country lane through a quiet neighborhood. It is a major arterial in West Seattle. Are there problems? You bet? Does it require all that is proposed? No.

  • Paul April 10, 2015 (9:37 pm)

    This petition is stupid and I won’t sign it.

    I drive 35th regularly and I’ve also experienced rush hour traffic on Delridge, Fauntleroy, and some of the arterial streets that have gone from 4 to 3 lanes around the city. Despite the claim of the petition, 35th really does not have that much traffic. It does have more that Delridge and Fauntleroy, but it isn’t really busy in the overall scheme of things. It can stand a diet for safety. The claims in the petition echo the criticisms raised when the other streets around the city have been reduced to 3 lanes and have not been proven to be true.

    The speeders need to chill out and plan a few more minutes to get from A to B.

    @ seattletimebandit, if those are the average measured speeds then a lot of people are going faster. Also, the posted speed limit at Roxbury is already 30 mph. A 5-10 mph difference in speed can mean the difference between someone being able to recover or not if they are hit by a car.

    Enforcement alone isn’t the answer. We can’t afford to have cops out there 24/7 and do you really want more cameras out there? Installing and maintaining those cameras isn’t cheap either.

  • rob April 10, 2015 (10:47 pm)

    if we all played by the rules on 35th You no drive the speed limit an slow down let people cross the street an be nice on the road we would not be talking about this

  • AJ April 10, 2015 (11:17 pm)

    Last year I commuted south to Tacoma every day. It took 40 minutes. Now I commute to Airport Way and it often takes 35 minutes down Delridge and the bridge.

    Signed.

  • datamuse April 10, 2015 (11:54 pm)

    This thread is ample evidence that 35th needs a diet. And about half the drivers in West Seattle need a chill pill…

  • KS April 11, 2015 (12:41 am)

    To the people who have stated that they have “total faith” and “trust” in sdot, may I ask why? Our streets are deplorable and sdot has a penchant for goofy projects that often are not completed. As you drive your car or bike over our lovely streets and swerve to miss a pot hole ask yourself where such confidence in this band of incompetents comes from. I don’t fault the people busting their butts doing the work. I think there is misguided leadership. What galls me is the money that is funelled to silly projects like this. How about paving one side of a two lane road and leaving the rest undone and broken? And if you think the roads are going to fix bad driving think again. Most people speed all over this town but how many cops do you see? Hardly any. I’d rather have more enforcement that refactoring the streets. Might be a lot cheaper too.

  • JanS April 11, 2015 (12:46 am)

    What is this “Derringer” that more than one person has spoken about? Do they mean Delridge? Is there a main thoroughfare I haven’t found after living here for 40 years? Get facts right, and maybe people will pay attention to the rest of what you are saying.

    They will do what they will on 35th SW. But…traffic laws are traffic laws, and we’re all supposed to abide by them. Life is not a free for all when other lives are involved. You all b*t^hing about the road diet are not special flowers that are more important than anyone else driving that stretch of road. Yes, datamuse…at least half!

    • WSB April 11, 2015 (12:49 am)

      I am pretty sure that as one person speculated, Derringer was a smartphone auto-correct glitch for someone who meant Delridge in a comment upthread. My heartfelt advice: Shut off auto-correct. Only seems to cause trouble.

  • JanS April 11, 2015 (12:50 am)

    and, actually, what the hell is so important in your life that you have to go 50MPH, weaving in and out of traffic, on 35th SW? I do wish people would explain their self-importance to us.

  • ChefJoe April 11, 2015 (3:30 am)

    Thanks for the link Neighbor,
    according to the AADTs in the packet provided and your fhwa link, the road diet might be more appropriate for places S of Morgan St, if we wanted to not cause diversion. That sounds like a good plan “C” that I could agree with.

    “However, for road diets with AADTs above approximately 20,000 vehicles, there is an increased likelihood that traffic congestion will increase to the point of diverting traffic to alternative routes.”

  • seattletimebandit April 11, 2015 (7:36 am)

    @Paul

    What do you mean by “if”? Those are SDOT’s study numbers. And yes, it does mean people are driving at speeds above the posted speed limit, but since SDOT’s numbers are an average, it must mean that some drivers are driving below the posted speed limit.

  • Chris April 11, 2015 (8:02 am)

    @ Paul, seattletimebandit, and others

    The SDOT speeds listed are the 85th percentile speeds, which means that 85% of people are traveling at that speed or lower. (It is not an “average” speed.) This does mean, though, that about 1 in 7 drivers is traveling even faster than that speed, which is thousands of drivers a day.

  • Curtissimo April 11, 2015 (8:29 am)

    Thank goodness for this new proposition! Finally a little common sense in West Seattle. 35th is the only arterial that moves properly N-S through our fair peninsula. All the selfish nannies who want to slow down others should look in the mirror. Get out of your car and walk if you are not in a hurry, but mind your own business.

  • seattletimebandit April 11, 2015 (8:52 am)

    @Chris

    Thanks for the clarification.

  • Smitty April 11, 2015 (8:54 am)

    After they get 35th to one lane it is only a matter of time before they start adding “bus bulbs”. Oh boy!

    Think people. THINK!

  • PS April 11, 2015 (8:59 am)

    Speeding is on the rise everywhere from 35th to our small residential streets and beyond West Seattle too. Someone just went down my street going 40mph and this is not 35th it is also marked in 2 places that the speed limit here is 20mph. People don’t care. Many people are rushing and inconsiderate of others and I believe if you hit them in their wallets by giving them tickets it will teach them to slow down and obey the law. Most of them anyway. The problem is what is in the hearts and minds of the speeders or maybe what is lacking. The changes to 35th will only slow them down on 35th. They’ll just find another street to speed on. More Police presence around West Seattle would also help limit other crimes – mail theft, burglary, etc… It would also provide more jobs for people joining the police force :)

  • valvashon April 11, 2015 (9:12 am)

    Grandma was driving the BMW at ramming speed!

    http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t172/valvashon/WSB%20Photos/0311011516.jpg

    Here’s the Maxima she scored a pretty direct hit on, after glancing off of my car:

    http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t172/valvashon/WSB%20Photos/0311011518.jpg

    Two otherwise running and in good condition cars meet the crusher after being picked clean and your insurance rates go up because everybody pays! Hooray for two super speedy lanes on I-35!

  • austin_neighbor April 11, 2015 (9:26 am)

    To all the people who are criticizing those of us who feel there are more effective ways to increase pedestrian safety and that the speed limit should not be reduced; do you really believe that a slower speed limit is going to deter people from driving fast?? That is just naive. We are not in Mayberry, we live in a major city. People need to commute and get to destinations outside of our own community which involves crossing bridges, timing the transit system, etc. So basically, those who continue to speed will continue to do so and those who obey traffic laws will just have to learn to adjust our habits because of the speedsters who will continue to speed anyway? That does not make any sense!

    Why not look into installing more traffic signals for pedestrians and time them so that they can maintain traffic flow at the current 35 MPH speed limit?? Anyone going to fast will be forced to stop at a red light unless they travel at the posted speed limit. I’ve lived in other major cities where this seemed like an effective way to maintain traffic flow and also insure pedestrian safety.

    Lowering the speed limit and creating road diets will just cause more problems.

  • alkibeach April 11, 2015 (9:28 am)

    to be expected….. there is always some idiot opposed to everything under the sun. If someone had a petition to stop the trees from blooming in the spring time, there would be signers, and likely even some would go so far as to protest. geeeesh.

  • Kathy April 11, 2015 (9:40 am)

    Robert Neel’s petition conveniently forgets to mention that the SDOT proposed safety improvements do not include a “road diet” at Alaska Street where traffic volumes are 24,000. His alternative solutions include marked pedestrian crosswalks at all intersections which are deathtraps for pedestrians because while one car may stop for them, a car in the next lane will not see them and plow through the intersection. This petition is click bait for the “road diet” fear mongers who voices mysteriously die down after the safety improvements are put in place and traffic flows more smoothly. Where these improvements have been made on other busy streets, collisions have decreased dramatically (not just people in cars colliding with people walking and biking). This saves millions of dollars now wasted on emergency response, traffic disruption and detours, injuries, deaths, property damage and emotional trauma. Turning the 35th Avenue SW residential arterial into a 4 lane freeway all the way to Roxbury has been a failed experiment and it is long overdue to return it to a more sane environment for the people who use it.

  • KS April 11, 2015 (9:50 am)

    Lots of people, including myself are asking the question “why are people driving so fast on 35?”. Most of us know, there is a “speed racer” mentality in some people that just have to drive fast. Since I take 35th into DT Seattle every day, I was wondering why I speed on that road from time to time. So, here’s why I think I do:

    1. There are a LOT of traffic lights. If you get out of sync with them turning red, you will most likely get them all red especially if you do the speed limit. So, if you drive FASTER than 35, maybe 40 or so, you can actually get all the lights green.
    So, maybe all the signals on 35 should be re-timed so if you are going 35, you can won’t get in red-light hell.

    2. There are some “free-falling” zones as you go from South to North. The big one is after you pass Mars Hill (Trinity) Church on the left. There is a gradual downward slope and then a very steep drop by the Myrtle Reservoir all the way down to Morgan. It levels off a bit and then the next descent starts a few blocks before Mt. St. Vincent (sorry I’m not using the street names). The point is, I find myself coasting sometimes and depending on the weight of the vehicle some will go fast than others due to gravity.

    I am guilty of 1 and 2 and I have to correct myself from time to time. I do nearly always maintain a good distance to the car in front of me. If I can’t see their two front wheels from under the car, I back off.

    I think you might end up with more rear-end collisions if the road were put on a diet. Were also making the mistake of comparing Delridge with Fauntleroy and there is really no comparison between the two. 35th is a totally different animal. It really should be called I35 (as someone on NextDoor site had mentioned). Like it or not it IS a highway of sorts. Both Delridge and Fauntleroy are flat and they don’t have nearly the amount of traffic lights that 35th do. And speaking of Fauntleroy, even before the modifications of a few years ago, people drove remarkably well on it and still do. I’ve not noticed nearly the amount of speeding as 35th. Yes, you get the random idiot who has to gun their WRX or modded Accord, but in general both of these roads are pretty peaceful. In 35’s case however, I really do think the speeding has a lot to do with going down those hills and trying to beat the myriad number lights that aren’t timed properly.

    We keep cramming more and more people into West Seattle and somehow expect the infrastructure to support the increase. So putting the one major means you have to get in and out of West Seattle on a road-diet is short-sighted thinking. You might be able to pull this off is you expand other arterials. I hate how we are systematically destroying the old shops in the Junction and putting up crappy condos all over the place. But that’s another rant.
    I think we should make the speed limit 40, not 30 or 35. Get the all the lights timed so that if you stay at the posted speed you can sail safely in (or out) without having to stop and start all the time. And yes, start ticketing speeders more. SDOT should concentrate on repairing our pathetic, crumbling streets, not re-jiggering to “make people behave”. I still believe that speed is a problem all over this town. There is a generally sense of lawlessness that is shocking sometimes and I think if people knew they were going to face consequences of having moving violations on their records, higher insurance for years and possibly having their driving privileges revoked it might make for better drivers. Count how many patrol cars you see in a week as you drive to/from work. Considering how dense our population is here, you’d think there would be many more cops on the beat. What’s up with that?

  • Jennifer April 11, 2015 (10:10 am)

    I drive 35th every single day, live a block off of it. My experience consistently is that people already drive at 5-10 mph BELOW the speed limit. However, there are some jerks that are going MUCH faster, and a few rotten apples ruin the barrel. (Albeit I do tend to drive off of the commute hours, so maybe it’s bad those two times a day.)
    I just don’t see how reducing to 30 is going to stop people from speeding. How about leave the 35 MPH in place, and add some traffic calming measures to encourage drivers to obey the limit? In it’s current configuration (four lanes + parking shoulders), 35 MPH is NOT an unreasonable speed limit. And it is safe IF you are traveling at that rate of speed, not faster.
    This is the principal arterial for W Seattle. The proposed plan is overkill. Try the least impact changes first, IMHO.

  • B April 11, 2015 (11:38 am)

    35th is a major arterial in W. Seattle. 35mph is an appropriate speed on a major arterial. If SPD does not enforce the 35MPH speed limit, why would you think lowering the speed limit will make drivers go slower. The answer is for SPD to enforce the current speed limit, and add more crosswalks where needed along with timed timed traffic signals. As far as I’m concerned, this is just a continuation of the city’s war on cars.

  • A April 11, 2015 (2:02 pm)

    Signed it. I get the feeling that there is a vocal minority (those that live on 35th) who are supporting the road diet on this blog, but if you were to take an unbiased poll across West Seattle, I bet people would be overwhelmingly against this road diet. The online petition has over 500 signatures now.

  • themightyrabbit April 11, 2015 (2:33 pm)

    actually it’s the other way round, the vocal majority support the road diet. it’s overdue, look at how safe Fauntleroy is now compared to before. I’m all for a road diet, it’s just the right thing to do. there’s an irrational fear that the diet will hamper our ability to traverse I35 in the same time. The contrary is true – you’ll get there in about the same time, but won’t be able to speed as aggressively between lights. Much better.

  • beef April 11, 2015 (2:47 pm)

    road diets do not cause problems. Which one in Seattle has not been considered a success? The middle left turn lane reduces backups and accidents (cars and pedestrian). Every time I am stopped waiting to make a left turn on 35th, there is a very real chance that I am going to get rear ended.

    As much as you want to believe it, most of the growth in W Seattle is not occurring down 35th where the majority of residences are SF homes. California and Delridge are where the growth is being experienced due to zoning in these areas.

    For fun, here are some traffic maps to look at.

    http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/tfdmaps.htm

  • LH April 11, 2015 (2:57 pm)

    I cross 35th on foot every day when I get off the bus. I will be very pleased when there are fewer lanes to cross since it can be very dangerous to cross now. One car may stop for you, but the car behind it more often than not swerves around it an is ignorant that there is a person legally using a crosswalk that they could kill by doing so. I drive, I take the bus, I walk. I want to see a road that’s designed to allow us all to do all of those things safely. The current design of 35th does not meet that criteria. I’m not a traffic engineer, so I don’t know if a “road diet” is the only answer, but I’m looking forward to seeing it. It will make my life better every day.

  • David April 11, 2015 (3:01 pm)

    This petition is absurd.
    1. Traffic calming works. The evidence is overwhelming.
    2. 35th ave SW is dangerous. Multiple people have died, and many more have nearly died on this road.
    3. 35th ave SW divides a lively community. There are parks, schools, libraries and more along the corridor.

    People are worried about getting places (marginally) more slowly? I’m worried about pedestrians dying!

  • ChefJoe April 11, 2015 (3:22 pm)

    That’s an interesting map of 2013 volumes beef, and it seems to indicate the AAWT is above 21,000 all the way S to Holden whereas the packet/Scribd document indicate falling below 20,000 S of Morgan.

    I wonder why there’s a discrepancy when the numbers at the ends match so well.

  • Seattletimebandit April 11, 2015 (4:15 pm)

    @KS (@9:50 am)

    I agree. Nailed it.

  • Chris April 11, 2015 (4:55 pm)

    This petition is based on one assumption: that a 4 or 5 minute delay in travel time is unacceptable. I would argue that the increasing density in the city calls for more traffic calming and slower speeds. With more pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers expected in the same area, we all need to drive more slowly and cautiously.

    As to the fear that reducing lanes will lead to bottlenecks in traffic flow, I can see your point. I admit that when I first heard of a “road diet” a few years ago, it seemed counter-intuitive that fewer lanes would preserve traffic flow. After reading the evidence about past projects (and driving on Fauntleroy post-road diet), however, I have to say that it makes sense. After all, if there was a road diet failure amongst the dozens already done in the city, I would bet that someone would have pointed it out.

    Regarding the alternative measures proposed in the petition:

    – As someone else pointed out, crosswalks without a user-activated light on a four-lane road are deathtraps. SDOT will no longer install them because of the threat of cars stopping in one lane but not the other. A road diet would make simple marked crosswalks like this viable, however. (Keep in mind that the push-button crosswalks cost $250,000 a pop to install.)

    – Moving the bus stops to mid-block would be unnecessary if there is a turn lane the length of the street. Also, every intersection would benefit from a turn lane, to prevent the threat of rear-end collisions with those turning left.

    – I would actually support traffic cameras and speed traps, especially to snag distracted drivers. The problem with this, though, is that police resources are limited. I’m sure those experiencing car break-ins and home thefts in West Seattle would argue that police officers’ time might be better spent.

    I would argue for giving the road diet a chance. I’m sure that SDOT does not want this project to fail, as it would undermine public confidence in any future project, so why propose data that they don’t think are accurate? As they say, it’s just paint. If the feared apocalyptic backups do appear, you could always start another petition to repaint the road.

  • WSLiz April 11, 2015 (8:46 pm)

    I agree that people drive too fast on 35th and it makes for some unsafe conditions. What I remember from comments when the road diet was announced was several concerns about enforcement of the speed limit change and assurances that there would be enforcement after. What I don’t understand is why a half million dollar road project is necessary before we enforce the speed limit on 35th. If there were regular enforcement of the current speed limit- not 24/7 but some sort of consistent enforcement- people would obey the speed limit more consistently and the road would be safer. I don’t see this point of view as selfish and certainly not “spitting on the families that live on 35th” as one commenter put it. I just think that there are more practical ways of making 35th safer without costly and time-consuming projects. We don’t have to change the road or the speed limit, we have to change people’s behavior.

  • WS Res April 11, 2015 (8:59 pm)

    I agree with Jennifer. 35mph is NOT that fast. Enforcement is the issue. Lower the speed limit is not going to fix anything. Keep it at 35mph and save a bunch of money for something else.

  • Alex April 11, 2015 (9:43 pm)

    Signed. I have no problem with people driving 35 or 40 on a perfectly straight 4 lane road, in fact I see it as an essential commuting option for those of us that need cars for work. Not every street in W Seattle needs to be compatible with children playing in it. This one should be for vehicles.
    .
    Some of you may have no problem cruising down delridge at 20mph when you can’t pass that bus, but I do, and I don’t want that fate to befall our last reasonable arterial.

  • Born on Alki59 April 11, 2015 (11:41 pm)

    35 mph seems reasonable on 35th for safe drivers. Is it just me, or does Seattle need to launch a courteous driving campaign? Seems like a few jack holes screw it up for everybody. Enforcement needs to step up on 35th regardless of set speed limit. Please re- time the signals on 35th and leave it alone. It would really make a difference and save millions. Rant over.

  • KS April 12, 2015 (12:26 am)

    I like the idea of a courteous driving campaign. Seems kind of sad that people should have to be trained to be courteous, but I get your point. I also wonder how good such training would be for people like the ones here who have resorted to name-calling just because they don’t hold the same opinion they do. I thought hate wasn’t cool. I hope that attitude doesn’t get behind the wheel.

    Can we please talk about his rationally without having to draw swords and resort to a verbal beat-down? I have read both side of this issue and I for one see nothing selfish about the petition. In fact, it seems to me to be quite clear-headed and to-the-point. Specifically, it is treating 35th as a unique road, which it is. It is a highway. Again, comparing the success of the road diet done to Fauntleroy and Delridge are meaningless. The variance in topology, the huge inflows from neighborhoods from the east and west side of 35th are not taken into consideration. The population density alone makes it unique so why not consider something other than a “road diet”. Those of us who are for this petition recognize that there is a problem that needs to be addressed and proposing solutions as well; I don’t understand how this is selfish. Just as there was once plan A and then B, so now we have C. Perhaps we will even get to D or more. At least we are having a discussion about it. The more we bounce ideas off each other the chances of getting a good solution in place will (hopefully) be more likely. We can get to that point without being nasty to each other, can’t we? We’re neighbors, not enemies.

  • Brandon April 12, 2015 (7:37 am)

    35th may not be the safest arterial but it works. I think we can all agree that we have speeders and could use some extra enforcement. It’s also a great idea to throw in some of those lighted crosswalks for our pedestrians. But why revamp and entire arterial just for a couple of changes?
    Anyone ever hear the saying, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”? Well this is a good time to use it. Why don’t we look at all the streets around West Seattle. How about the ones that give you a headache to drive on. The ones that beat up your car cause there’s a massive pot hole every ten feet or a patch job gone bad.
    Can’t we repair the streets we already have vs changing ones that work fine for now? If we don’t start maintaining our streets they are just going keep rotting faster and faster.
    Safety is never a waste of money, we need to make all our other roads safe to drive on.

    I signed this petetion.

  • enid April 12, 2015 (8:04 am)

    A street can be both an arterial AND residential. That doesn’t make it a freeway.

    Yes, 35th has always been an arterial. But at the beginning, there were probably a couple hundred cars a day traveling this corridor. Now the number is in the tens of thousands, with speeds consistently 20 mph over the limit – and more. As far as changing people’s behavior – good luck with that.

    Ironically, the same people decrying the waste of funds (enforcement instead!!) would be the same ones screaming their heads off when they got a speeding ticket. It’s pretty obvious to me that those who support this anti-initiative are part of that problem.

  • David April 12, 2015 (8:09 am)

    Not signing this petition is ridiculous; if I could, I’d sign it 3 times.

  • ChefJoe April 12, 2015 (8:38 am)

    enid, the traffic flow map indicates 1996 traffic on the N end of 35th was 20k and 16k down near roxbury. Now (2013 data) it’s 25k at the N end and 16.5k near roxbury. It has never been a freeway (although, in the time before freeways, it performed that function).

    http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/tfdmaps.htm

  • Actually Live on 35th April 12, 2015 (10:50 am)

    As I posted on another thread.

    According the World Health Organization, reducing speed is a way to reduce the severity of crash consequences.
    for urban roads–those shared by pedestrians, cyclists, users of public transport–best practice is 50 km/hr–that comes to about 31 mph–exactly the way Seattle’s Vision 0 plan is going.

    “A number of countries considered
    leaders in road safety, such as Australia
    and Sweden, have adopted universal urban
    speed limits of 50 km/h, based on the
    effectiveness of this measure in reducing
    injuries and death”
    http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2013/report/section2.pdf

    Also:

    Pedestrians and cyclists are especially at
    risk of an injury as a result of excessive
    vehicle speeds. This vulnerability
    means particular attention needs to be
    paid to speed limits in areas with high
    concentrations of these road users,
    such as around schools or in residential
    neighbourhoods.

    Time to try to be a world class city. Why not look out for your neighbors?

  • More Capacity Not Less April 12, 2015 (3:23 pm)

    Amazing outpouring of emotion directed all the “evil speeders” who dare question the plan for 35th. Traffic enforcement and city planning are two very different things that seem to be mixed up by many here.
    My concern about the plan primarily revolves around the “re-channelization” which effectively cuts the capacity of this important north-south corridor in half at a time when we are permitting thousands of new residential units in West Seattle. I am especially concerned when this involves digging up streets and making permanent changes that cost MILLIONS of dollars, much like the hideous Metro traffic bulbs that are causing substantial traffic back-ups all over town. If they are going to implement restricted lanes it should be done with painted lines only until it is proven to not be a complete disaster. Take a breath and use some reason.

  • Chris April 12, 2015 (6:37 pm)

    @More Capacity Not Less
    From what I can tell from SDOT’s presentation, their plans DO involve just paint, as opposed to any digging or “permanent” changes. I don’t see anything in the plans that involves digging up streets or building structures like the bus bulbs.

  • ChefJoe April 12, 2015 (7:19 pm)

    The first step is “just paint” but they’ve also indicated consideration of pedestrian islands and turn restrictions at Juneau and Dawson, which would require re-channelization in that section to insert. I guess that’s a sub-option in Plan B (the blue box).

  • Dan April 12, 2015 (7:58 pm)

    Anyone thinking that the speed limit should be raised above 35 mph simply have no clue about speed and reaction time. As a traffic expert for 30 years, what raising the speed limit to say 40 would do, would actually give well over 50% of the motorist the “right” to go closer to 50mph. 50mph is HIGHWAY speeds people. This is a neighborhood, with pedestrian’s that have to cross this street without the use of a traffic lite in soo many spots. With such it actually creates a liability for the city. The speed NEEDS to be be lowered to 30 mph, just to get the majority of traffic to a typical 35 speed limit that is currently posted.

  • jwright April 12, 2015 (8:10 pm)

    More Capacity Not Less, there are two points I wanted to respond to. Going from four lanes to three does cut the travel lanes in half, but not the throughput. By getting turns out of the travel lanes, it allows the travel lanes to move more smoothly. Also, bus bulbs are about keeping buses from getting blocked from re-entering traffic. Yes, it slows down cars but it also keeps the multitude of people on the bus moving.
    .
    As this discussion has unfolded, the vibe I get from the people in favor of the Mr. Neel’s petition is that they view roads as being the sole domain of cars and anything that impinges on moving car traffic is a failure. People walk, people take the bus, people bike. Those constituencies have as much right to be served by roads as people driving cars. I think the problem is that historically, roads have been optimized for cars. Accommodating other modes of travel after the fact sometimes means giving back lanes and parking which upsets some people. The “road diet” roads–including the proposed changes to 35th Ave SW–are getting redesigned to be what they should have been in the first place.

  • WS Res April 12, 2015 (9:27 pm)

    @dan
    The petition does not mention raising the speed limit it just want to keep it the way it is.

    Spending the money to go down 5 mph does not seem worth it.

  • Don Jacobs April 13, 2015 (10:25 am)

    For those who want SW 35th Ave turned into a two lane crawl, there are a MAJORITY of law abiding, tax paying residents in this area who want a reasonable commute to work daily. The city government continues to allow overbuilding of apartments in West Seattle with no increased roads, transit options, or infrastructure allowing working people to get downtown in a reasonable amount of time. Destroying 35th which is a major artery and turning it into a slow lane to no where may enhance your own sense of safety, but the reality is that it will decrease property values and accessibility of West Seattle as a near-in neighborhood for those tens of thousands who commute off the peninsula to work each day.

  • 34th and Thistle April 13, 2015 (10:31 am)

    Look at the data from all the other rechannels. 30mph and one lane with a turn lane will work _better_ for traffic _and_ be more safe for other users, and not cost ongoing money for SPD officers or speed camera maintenance.

    Rechannel away!

  • 34th and Thistle April 13, 2015 (10:34 am)

    I’m reposting the link for the original, make-35th-safer petition from last year. If you haven’t signed it yet, now’s the time to outvote the speeders.

    https://www.change.org/p/seattle-city-council-make-35th-ave-sw-safer-for-everyone-in-2014-by-investing-in-safety-improvements

  • Mat April 13, 2015 (1:32 pm)

    I feel like it says a lot about this petition that at the time of this posting the most popular signature is additionally suggesting the speed limit be raised.

    It seems like there is a conflict regarding everyone wants. Me, I want all of West Seattle to be one neighborhood and to not be divided by busy roads that don’t just threaten safety, but also the charming feel of our neighborhood. To me the increased travel time is worth it for what I think will be an even nicer place to live.

  • Dick April 13, 2015 (2:47 pm)

    I find 35th frustrating enough because traffic never seems to moving at the posted limit of 35. Amazing I don’t encounter all these people racing down “I-35″ at such high rates of speed as I use that road daily. I would hate to see the road diet happen. Delridge (or Derringer as it’s been renamed)is god awful slow grind any more.

    It does not make me selfish for wanting to maintain the current speed and configuration of 35th. Buying a house on a major arterial like 35th and expecting the rest of the community to forfeit that arterial so you can have a residential/”neighborhood” street is selfish.

    Also, while speed may exacerbate the damage of an accident, speed is not the cause. Poor lane control with distracted and/or intoxicated drivers is.

  • Kathy April 13, 2015 (3:15 pm)

    You pothole complainers, I bet you are in your comfortable car when you pass one, swerve around it, curse the City for the state of the roads, get to your destination and forget to submit a report. Whereas a person on a bike perceives the pothole as a threat to their life. It takes them 2 minutes to pull over to the side of the road or sidewalk and submit a report on a smart phone. Three days later, problem solved. You are welcome.

  • Kathy April 13, 2015 (3:40 pm)

    You pothole complainers, I bet you are in your comfortable car when you see one, swerve around it, curse the City for the state of the roads, get to your destination and forget to submit a report. Whereas a person on a bike perceives the pothole as a threat to their life. It takes them 2 minutes to pull over to the side of the road or sidewalk and submit a report on a smart phone with GPS location info. Three days later, problem solved. You’re welcome.

  • Chris April 13, 2015 (9:26 pm)

    Enforce the current speed limits. Fix the blasted patchwork of roadway, and cracked streets with potholes. Finish the pavement, end to end, not just 100 yards at a time. Give the 35th Ave. residents south of Roxbury some respect and repair the shoulder which is a disgrace. Folks, drive the speed limit safely, soberly and teach your kids to do so also. If you speed and you get caught, you pay; too bad if you’re on the way to work or school. Speed enforcement should be first. But, thinking this is a neighborhood street and mitigating for such…not realistic. 35th is a North-South roller-coaster track that bisects West Seattle and dumps onto our beloved bridge, one of two ways in/out of WS (the other being another road mess of Roxbury).

  • wb April 13, 2015 (10:49 pm)

    @Dick,
    I was arrested by your comment that you do not believe you are selfish and that those who live on 35th should be punished for their poor choice of living there in the first place. Not everyone can afford a 500K+ bungalow that is not on an arterial.

    As sit you sit down to enjoy your multi-course dinner each night, you probably don’t have the pleasure of listening to the sounds of cars whizzing by and asking your friends to repeat themselves.

    Why not try leaving your bloated SUV at home some day and commute another way—and unlike most of us hopefully you don’t have to dodge the speeding cars and trucks along a four-lane speedway–to get to the bustop. I’m sure you don’t want to continue your habit of contributing to the increasing voluminous traffic problem.

  • Live on 35th April 14, 2015 (4:19 am)

    The VAST majority of the traffic is not West Seattle drivers…
    It is people from other areas south and east who use it as a “short cut” to and from Seattle.
    A road diet is the perfect solution to cutting those people down from using our street as a freeway short cut.
    I’m all for road diet and since I live on 35th my opinion counts slightly more then those who do not…

  • 34th and Thistle April 14, 2015 (12:09 pm)

    100 new signatures in favor of safety since yesterday, and only a couple in favor of speeding and weaving.

    Sign for safety!

    https://www.change.org/p/seattle-city-council-make-35th-ave-sw-safer-for-everyone-in-2014-by-investing-in-safety-improvements

  • au April 14, 2015 (1:45 pm)

    Nobody’s in favor of speeding and weaving, knock it off. It’s not possible to be in favor of speeding while simultaneously asking for speed limit enforcement.

    Live on 35th, I have to ask, are you being factious?

  • Thomas M. April 14, 2015 (8:07 pm)

    Tickets. Lots and lots and lots of tickets. Also Seattle should do tickets California style. You can’t just pay them, you get to stand for hours in a miserable line to get a courtroom assignment. Then you get to sit and collect splinters in your butt waiting for your turn. THEN you can plead guilty and pay the ticket. TIME is what gets the message across. Pull an FTA and it’s bench warrant time.

Sorry, comment time is over.