New Delridge crosswalk: City to start work after holiday weekend

| Delridge | Safety | West Seattle news

We’ve been talking about the new pedestrian-safety beacons at local crosswalks – recently installed at California/Dakota, in the process of installation at 11th/Holden, and in the works for the 5900 block of Delridge Way by the front entrance to the Boren Building, home to K-5 STEM and interim home to Arbor Heights Elementary. This afternoon, SDOT announced the timeline for installation of the latter, along with the promised crosswalk and curb ramps, and curb bulbs: “Crews plan to begin work on Monday, July 6, with construction expected to last approximately two weeks. Crews will work weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. During this time, pedestrians will follow signed detours next to the school or into a temporary walkway using the parking lane.” The improvements, which the school community and other safety advocates have long sought, are funded by the Neighborhood Park and Street Fund and SDOT’s Safe Routes to School program. (The same area is also getting a speed-enforcement camera system, as reported here two weeks ago.)

Jim P. June 25, 2015 (4:20 pm)

How does one request the city consider such things? I feel one is desperately needed at 26th & Trenton where two schools are feeding hundreds of kids over to Westwood Village even when school is not in session as the athletic fields are used a lot. People use Trenton like a dragstrip at times.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve almost wound up on the hood of a car that couldn’t be bothered with the marked crossing, stop when occupied signs etc. Cursed at and given the finger even more when someone zooms around me.
(and no, I don’t just step out into oncoming traffic, some of these clowns are doing fifty or better coming down the hill from either direction.

Check out the skid marks near the crosswalk and up at Delridge and Trenton. It’s an informal drag strip late at night

Bound to get a kid or adult one of these times if they haven’t yet

WSB June 25, 2015 (4:46 pm)

Westwood/Roxhill/Arbor Heights community council and West Seattle Transportation Coalition both have advocated in that area. Can’t dig up the links right now but WWRHAH is your best contact for advocacy – http://wwrhah.org – we covered a recent walking tour.

McBride June 25, 2015 (5:29 pm)

Great question, Jim!
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Both this project and the flashing beacons in Highland Park were Neighborhood Parks and Streets Fund Projects (NPSF for short). These grants are available through The Department of Neighborhoods, and are submitted and voted upon at the District level. Anybody can submit a project to the District Council, and each year we generally advance 2-4 projects. Even if your project doesn’t get funded, it puts SDOT or Parks (depending on the focus of your project) on notice, and it’s not unheard of for a project to be completed outside of the NPSF.
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I second the recommendation of going to a WWRHAH meeting (sounds like they are your local neighborhood council). They’ve done fantastic work for their community, and would love to discuss this further, and explain the process of submitting an NPSF grant. You are also always welcome at the District Council meeting (3rd Wednesday, 7pm at Youngstown), and I’ll explain it further there.
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Lastly, hats off to Craig for getting his project done, and to Carolyn for hers.

Jim P. June 25, 2015 (10:44 pm)

Thank you both for the responses. Seems like this is more the city’s sort of thing to do, at least looking at my tax bills. ;)

I may give that meeting a shot next month and see what might be done.

Dan H. June 26, 2015 (1:59 am)

Honestly, I feel that Fairmount Park Elem. deserves one as well. Fauntleroy Ave SW is typically treated like Jim mentioned above with Trenton as “A Drag Strip”. They do have a Speedometer but no camera to actually enforce the people speeding past that wide open stretch of Fauntleroy Ave Sw. The park is usually busy with families flying kites also Baseball/Softball games as well as other sports/activities. Especially at night you can expect cars going full throttle because it’s nearly dead. I feel Fairmount Park should be the next priority.