West Seattle, Washington
09 Sunday
6:00 PM: Seattle Police say more Night Out block parties are registered for tonight than the city’s ever seen before – 1,427, a five percent increase from last year. We’re on our way to check out some of them.
We’d also love a photo from yours – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks – updates to come!
6:21 PM: We’re starting in White Center, which is throwing a party in the downtown business district.
Several businesses have outdoor tables set up, Center Studio (WSB sponsor) has an outdoor workout going (photo above), and there’s a $2 food walk – here are Matt and Delia from Caffé Delia serving up Proletariat Pizza:
Speaking of pizza – West Seattle’s Pagliacci Pizza tells us they’re making surprise visits to block parties again this year too. Meantime, next – we head back north into Highland Park!
6:48 PM: That’s the group at Mary‘s block party on 17th SW in Highland Park. VERY bright sunshine tonight, as one young participant was all too aware of! From there, we headed into Westwood:
WWRHAH Community Council president Amanda Helmick invited us to stop by the party on 23rd SW – she’s at left in our photo with Joni Buckner (whose Head-to-Toe Day Spa in the Admiral District is a WSB sponsor). Amanda noted that they invited 22nd, 24th, and 25th SW neighbors too! Next WWRHAH meeting is a week from tonight, by the way. On to Arbor Heights:
7:06 PM: On 34th SW in AH, Block Watch captain JoDean Edelheit is proud of a great turnout tonight for their block party (above) – which is what we’re finding just about everywhere so far, good turnouts on a perfect night to be outside.
Also from 34th SW in Arbor Heights, where police stopped by (SPD and SFD were in circulation around the city), Christi shared this photo:
7:29 PM: Thanks to Marcia for sending that photo from Ocean View – which also had visitors from the Southwest Precinct. Our most recent stops, meantime, included two in Fauntleroy – neighbors of all ages are having a grand time by Fauntleroy Community Association board member Gary Dawson‘s house off upper Fauntleroy Way by the ferry dock:
A few blocks south of the ferry dock, Marty Westerman (left) and Gordon Wiehler, also from the FCA board, ponder the meatballs:
Thanks to everyone who is e-mailing us photos, too – we’re adding them from the mobile newsroom. Here’s one – from Genesee, at 40th and Andover, Jonathan French shared this photo:
He says the musical entertainment is being supplied by local home inspector Don Hartman and band.
7:59 PM: Only one hour to go! Thanks to Midge for the bouncy-house photo from 42nd SW in Fairmount Springs:
Midge says Pagliacci made one of their random surprise deliveries to their party! Meantime, from Rutan Place west of The Junction, John shares a group photo:
8:39 PM: Had to stop down to get the election links together, but we’ve continued to visit parties and we’re getting lots more photos in – we’ll keep adding past 9 pm. Another of our Highland Park stops was by invitation of Christie, who’s with husband Mike in our photo below:
Mike made “genuine Louisiana ribs” – that’s an exact quote – for the block party:
From 36th/Brandon/Findlay, Jenny shares this summer-evening scene:
Kathleen sends the next photo from SW Grayson, reporting, “We are rockin’ it in N. Admiral!”
8:57 PM: Minutes to go in the official window for Night Out, though some parties wrap up earlier, some last longer. One of the biggest ones we visited – in the Hansen View neighborhood, home to West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network leaders Karen Berge and Deb Greer:
In their neighborhood, we also found Buddy the dog …
Also at the party, Chris Dormaier from Sound Yoga (WSB sponsor), photographed with Tim Law:
Block Watches work, you’ll hear Deb and Karen and other leaders say, because of all the neighbors – and that’s really what Night Out is about:
If you don’t have a Block Watch but are interested in starting one, watch for the WSBWCN meetings – and check out this page on the SPD website. Still more party scenes to come – we’re back at HQ now.
10:03 PM: The first person to send us an invitation to her neighborhood’s Block Party this year was Nicole, from 52nd and Charlestown:
Nicole’s chicken played a big part in the Night Out event’s centerpiece, which you might call “chicken poop bingo”:
Half the proceeds were going to the West Seattle Food Bank. Meantime, the neighborhood you might describe as Upper Luna Park had a playful Night Out too, with water balloons:
Thanks to Erik for the photo. Meantime, from 16th and Trenton, Steve reports, “We had an awesome night with neighbors including those from up the street at Station 11 who came by with their truck for all the kids to explore. Perfect evening for it.” Here’s the photographic proof:
41st and Graham got a Seattle Fire Department visit too – thanks to Jenny for the photo:
From Gatewood, Tony‘s block party at California and Portland:
Frequent WSB contributor Long Bach Nguyen just sent a photo from that same party:
Music at 46th and Dakota – Cheryl says The Spyrographs were playing (and will be at Summer Concerts at The Mount [WSB sponsor]) two weeks from Friday, on August 23rd:
From North Admiral, Karyn tweeted her block-party scene:
Getting back to Gatewood, Mark Ahlness reports, “A great gathering at 39th SW and SW Elmgrove. Wonderful food and conversations with neighborhood regulars and many newcomers! In the picture, Grace welcomes everybody and gets things organized!”
From the 7100 block of 44th, Dan reports, “25 people out for the block party. Met a ton of great neighbors that we didn’t really know before.”
Meantime, our final stop of the night was at another Gatewood gathering – Paula had invited us to visit her neighbors’ gathering on SW Rose between 35th and 37th:
ADDED EARLY WEDNESDAY: More party photos received overnight – one from 12th SW between Barton and Henderson, where the party included breakdancing and live music: “Hosted by Danny and Marie Figgins in Highland Park! We love Night Out and hanging making new friends!”
Diane says her Night Out party in the Belvedere neighborhood brought together five blocks!
Edward photographed the neighbors in the 6700 block of 41st SW, where it’s a tradition to display “flags from countries, states neighbors are from”:
AND ANOTHER: Carrie Ann reports from the 42nd/Dakota-Andover block party: “This is a photo of our neighbor, Brad, a wonderful fiddle player and singer. One of the best parts of our annual block party is that, every year, we’re treated to a musical serenading by many of our extremely talented neighbors”:
Carrie Ann continues: “We even managed to lure in passersby who saw how much fun we were having, and invited them to join us in singing, dancing, and marshmallow roasting. I highly encourage everyone to reach out to their neighbors on this night, because you’ll learn so much and create priceless memories!”
P.S. Next year will be the thirtieth anniversary of Night Out!
Thanks to a mini-festival hosted this morning by Roxbury Spine and Wellness Clinic (WSB sponsor), more local kids will be riding their bicycles more safely. Along with face-painting, food, and a bouncy house, RS&W was providing free bicycle helmets. And speaking of safety, that’s also a big theme for the Seattle Fire Department, represented at the event by Highland Park-headquartered Engine 11:
Some parts of the event were strictly for fun, like the music – and when the DJ hit “Gangnam Style,” a couple of young dancers stole the show:
P.S. Somebody who passed by the clinic today asked us about a sign they glimpsed from the corner of their eye – featuring a famous face – check it out.
Once again this month, the Seattle Police crime-prevention coordinator for the Southwest Precinct, Mark Solomon, has sent an alert about registered sex offenders moving into this area. Just out of the inbox:
In an effort to keep you informed, and in our constant attempts to reduce future victimization, we want to let you know about level 3 sex offenders that have recently moved into South(west) Precinct neighborhoods.
· Marcus Bright, 30 year-old African American male, is a level 3 registered sex offender who has recently moved to the 2700 Block of 60 Ave SW. Mr. Bright is no longer under Department of Corrections supervision.
· Charles Landry, 28 year-old African American male, is a level 3 registered sex offender who has recently moved to the 9400 Block of 13th Ave SW. Mr. Landry is currently under Department of Corrections supervision.
Det. Fields from the Seattle Police Department’s Sex Offender Detail is assigned to check on these offenders and verify their information.
To learn more about these offenders and to see their photos, please visit the King County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender website and search by their names. You will also find personal safety tips and resources on this site. http://www.icrimewatch.net/index.php?AgencyID=54473&disc
According to the website, Bright was convicted of first-degree child molestation in 1998, and second-degree assault with sexual motivation in 2003; Landry was convicted of second-degree rape in 2004. If you are concerned about sex offenders living in your area, that same website also will show you who else is in the area. Meantime, Solomon’s e-mail continues with safety information:
Two weeks till Night Out – the annual event bringing neighbors out of their homes and into the streets coast to coast, for block parties to strengthen ties and take a stand for neighborhood safety and solidarity – and to have fun. They’re always the first Tuesday night in August, so that’s August 6th, two weeks from tonight, 6-9 pm. The photo above is one of many we took on Night Out last year, featuring neighbors at 13th and Cambridge in Highland Park. To get permission to close your (non-arterial) street for the night, you need to register your party via the Seattle Police Night Out site – start here. And then, we invite you to let us know about your party, since we’re planning as-it-happens WSB coverage as usual and hoping to drop in on as many parties as we can get to in three hours. Just e-mail the location (cross-streets or block number) to editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
(May 2013 WSB photo from Roxbury/14th crash that sent 2 to hospital)
Three local neighborhood groups – the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council, Highland Park Action Committee, and North Highline Unincorporated Area Council – are asking the city and county for a safety study of the busy West Seattle/White Center road they share: SW Roxbury. More than 140 people have been hurt in crashes on or along Roxbury in the past four years alone, according to statistics the groups compiled for this letter they’re sending today:
Letter to city, county from WWRHAH, HPAC, NHUAC requesting Roxbury safety study
(If you can’t read the embedded letter, go here to see it as a PDF.)
As reported here last month, the city of Seattle plans two new school-zone speed cameras for Roxbury, near Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family School, but the groups say speeding isn’t the only issue along the busiest stretch of Roxbury, where they would like the study focused – between 35th SW on the west and 8th SW (the main entrance to the Greenbridge community) on the east. They also raise concerns about safety near the third school on Roxbury, the Community School of West Seattle.
The groups’ announcement is published in full on the WWRHAH website. As noted there, they are inviting other groups, as well as businesses and “representative(s) of the area,” to endorse their request by contacting WWRHAH at contact@wwrhah.org.
ADDED 9:44 AM: WWRHAH secretary Joe Szilagyi tells WSB says they’ve already received one reply, from SDOT, “saying they would respond to each concern within 60 days.”
(UPDATED 4:32 PM with charges, and charging documents’ mention of suspect seeking a possible SSCC student)
11:25 AM: The South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) community has received a memo from president Gary Oertli saying the man arrested in North Seattle last week with incendiary devices and maps to local colleges including SSCC has no known ties to the school, and that there is NO “active threat” to the campus. Here’s the memo sent by Oertli on Monday, forwarded to WSB today by a reader:
As some of you might have heard, there is a developing news story that broke late last week with a connection to our campus. Authorities have confirmed that there is not an active threat to our campus.
At this early stage, the connection to our campus is unclear, but here is what we do know:
Ø Police arrested Justin (Miles Jasper) on July 3, and found maps to several colleges, including South Seattle Community College. Our records confirm that he is not nor has he been a student at South.
Ø Jasper appeared in court on July 5 for a probable cause hearing. During the hearing, his bail was set at two million dollars and he remains in custody.
The Seattle Police Department and the F.B.I. have been in contact with campus security. As this story continues to develop, we will continue to keep you posted.
In the meantime, this is an excellent reminder to re-visit our Emergency Action plan on our website … It is also important to update your contact information, if you have not signed up already, on Campus Alerts for immediate updates on campus emergencies or unplanned closures. The link is provided here.
Campus safety is paramount to our community. At this time, there is no action required and our campus will continue to operate normally. We are working hard to continue to keep our campus a safe place for our students, faculty, and staff.
We contacted college communications director Kevin Maloney for comment today and he says that coincidentally, SSCC has a delegation at emergency training offsite today – planned long before this happened: “Myself and 12 others from South, including President Oertli, are attending a three-day class taught by FEMA to continue our emergency planning education. While we have planned on attending this course for months, the incident of last week stresses the importance of this course and previous training.”
Meantime, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says there’ll be a decision by this afternoon on whether to file charges against Jasper, who is jailed in lieu of $2 million bail. We’ll update this story when that announcement is made, and will watch developments to see if there is any additional information of West Seattle relevance.
4:36 PM UPDATE: Jasper is now charged with four felonies – two counts of possessing a stolen firearm, one count of possessing a stolen vehicle, one of possessing an incendiary device. The charging documents provided by the KCPAO do briefly mention that when police first found him in North Seattle in a truck stolen from an acquaintance in Montana, Jasper told them he was in Seattle “searching for an old friend who he thought was in the welding program at South Seattle Community College.” The “old friend” is not named, and no other part of the charging documents reference SSCC or anything else related to West Seattle.
In addition to peninsula-wide groups such as the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council and West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network, individual neighborhoods’ councils and associations are tackling crime and safety concerns too. That’s why the High Point Neighborhood Association is inviting area residents to a meeting next Monday that HPNA vice president Deborah Vandermar says will include:
Senior SHA Property Management staff, members of the High Point HOA Board, Trustees from the High Point Neighborhood Association, High Point Community Police Team Officer Kevin McDaniel, and SPD Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon
The meeting is set for 6:30 pm Monday (July 8th) at Neighborhood House‘s High Point Center, 6400 Sylvan Way SW.
It’s come up often, especially in the WSB Forums – how to tell whether someone who comes to your door, claiming to be a rep for Comcast, really IS. And even then, we learn in the latest newsletter from Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon, that’s no guarantee all’s well, especially if you didn’t request the visit. He says a recent incident in West Seattle prompted this:
Seattle Police Newsletter, July 2013
P.S. In case you – like a commenter – cannot see or access the document we embedded via Scribd, here’s the original PDF, uploaded to our server (it came from SPD via e-mail attachment, otherwise we’d happily point you to their site).
Though all fireworks are illegal in Seattle (except for sanctioned displays like the one over Lake Union on the 4th), you’re likely seeing or hearing them every night this time of year. When do you call 911? Do you call at all? In an attempt to answer those questions, the State Fire Marshal shared a media advisory today that included a chart created with input from emergency-dispatch centers around the state. We’ve uploaded the chart here:
When and how to report fireworks violations
Again, ALL fireworks are illegal in Seattle, as well as in nearby cities such as Burien and Tukwila – but some are legal in the adjacent unincorporated areas of King County. Here’s the list of fireworks rules (including when they can be sold and used, in places where they are allowed) statewide.
The news of the day has already swept past our time for the daily preview, so please take a look at our ongoing calendar if you haven’t already. But there is a one-time-only event tonight we did want to remind you about: The West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network will host detectives from the SPD Sex Offender & Kidnapping Detail, to talk about both how they monitor offenders, and how to stay safe. Here’s the full preview on the WSBWCN site; all are welcome at the meeting, 6:30 pm, Southwest Precinct (Webster/Delridge).
In light of two recent stories that have drawn much attention here – the police FYI about Level 3 sex offenders moving into local neighborhoods, and the White Center investigation of a kidnap attempt and break-in attempt – you might want to be at the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network‘s meeting next Tuesday:
How should your neighborhood react when a level 3 sex offender moves in? Our guests this month are Detective Fields and Detective Stevenson of the SPD Sex & Kidnapping Offender Detail and as well as one of the supervisors in that detail. They will give us an overview of what they do to monitor the activities of the sex offenders, what the different levels mean and what your neighborhood can do to keep itself safe. They are also part of the kidnapping detail and we will learn more specifics about how to better protect your family and neighborhood from this threat.
Everyone’s welcome, whether you’re involved with a Block Watch or not. The meeting starts at 6:30 pm Tuesday, June 25, at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster).
(WSB photo, November 2011)
Tomorrow morning, when the City Council’s Government Performance and Finance Committee considers mid-year budget changes/additions, they will include half a million dollars for a traffic signal long sought by the Admiral Neighborhood Association and other neighborhood advocates. The dangers of the top-of-hill, on-a-curve intersection got a tragedy-borne spotlight when 26-year-old Tatsuo Nakata was hit and killed in November 2006. Some safety improvements have been made, but getting a full signal has proven elusive – though the ANA has continued to push, including with the November 2011 demonstration shown above.
The new proposal is an major upgrade from just one month ago, when Mayor McGinn announced a plan for a “flashing pedestrian beacon” at the intersection, and the start of a technical study for a full signal, as part of a list of projects to be pursued with savings from the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project. Yesterday, the council issued its own announcement about a “re-alignment” of midyear transportation spending – including some changes from the mayor’s May proposal; most notably for West Seattle, the “full traffic signal” for 47th/Admiral.
We’ve been seeking additional details since then, and obtained them today from Councilmember Tom Rasmussen‘s office. While the documentation for tomorrow morning’s meeting is not finalized yet, we’ve seen a draft version of the 47th/Admiral proposal, which would explain that “Councilmember Rasmussen proposes to add $480,000 in additional funding (on top of $20,000 in the Mayor’s initial proposal) for SDOT’s more comprehensive approach of full signalization of the intersection, which would place each of the 10 entering side streets into full traffic control; possibly adding an additional crosswalk on Admiral …” As soon as the official document is available, we’ll share it. Tomorrow’s council committee meeting is at 9:30 am at City Hall.
West Seattle’s first school-zone speeding-ticket camera, on Fauntleroy Way near Gatewood Elementary, will likely be joined by two others. In the final week of the school year, Mayor McGinn has just announced five more proposed camera locations around the city, “based on an analysis of documented speeding problems that showed these schools would receive the greatest speed reduction and safety benefit from automated speed enforcement” per the official announcement. Two would be on SW Roxbury: Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family School. (They’re shown in red on our Google Map above, while Gatewood is shown in blue.) If the City Council approves funding, these and three other cameras would likely be installed early next year, according to the news release from the mayor’s office, which also says that the “four existing school zone camera locations have seen an average reduction of 16 percent in citations for speeding, from the week of December 10 to the week of April 22. … 96 percent of those who received a citation and paid it did not get another citation.” Seattle Police activated the Gatewood camera last November.
How do the candidates for Seattle Mayor differ in their philosophies toward and plans for keeping Seattle safe? With the August 6th primary election getting closer – 
the vote that will determine which two of those nine candidates advance to November – you’ll get a chance to hear from them later this month. The city’s Precinct Advisory Councils are co-sponsoring a public-safety-focused mayoral forum at 10 am Saturday, June 22nd, at City Hall downtown; we received the announcement today from the Southwest PAC’s Pete Spalding. All are welcome, and while RSVPing isn’t mandatory, the co-sponsors are hoping to get an idea of turnout, so if you can RSVP to seattlecpac@gmail.com, please do. That’s also the e-mail address to which you can send suggested questions before the forum. Along with the PACs, the forum’s co-sponsors are City Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and Tim Burgess (now a former mayoral candidate). It’ll be moderated by West Seattleite and journalist/broadcaster Brian Callanan of the Seattle Channel.
(Map provided by SDOT)
The Admiral Way hill north of the West Seattle Bridge is in for more changes, according to an announcement just in from SDOT. Spokesperson Peg Nielsen tells WSB the changes will “widen the bike lane and existing buffer (to) make it feel safer for people riding bikes and encourage cyclists who might otherwise use the sidewalk to use the bicycle lane. This change will make for an even more pleasant walking experience for pedestrians.” According to Nielsen, this will be facilitated by removing on-street parking on the east side of Admiral south of 3508 Admiral Way (map), and time restrictions are planned to the north:
SDOT has visited the location six times since August 2012. During each visit, no more than five vehicles have been parked south of 3508 Admiral and on average 50 percent of them were cars ‘for sale’. As a result, we do not anticipate the parking change will significantly impact local residents. We’ve also heard concerns about the potential for vehicles to park long-term in front of residents just north of this address (on the east side). As a result, we are planning to limit parking to four hours Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. up to SW Olga Street.
A letter was mailed to residents along this portion of Admiral Way notifying them of our plans. SDOT is interested in hearing their feedback and have invited them to e-mail walkandbike@seattle.gov or call 206-684-7583 by May 31.
The last major round of changes for this section of Admiral Way was back in 2010, when what started as a “rechannelization” proposal was eventually downshifted to “restriping,” including an uphill bike lane and parking removal down the hill, south of City View.
Tonight, another followup on the recent discussions of “low-flow” – 500 gallons per minute – fire hydrants that remain in parts of West Seattle and whether people living by those hydrants – particularly a few concentrations in Arbor Heights – are at higher risk. Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Kyle Moore asked us to share this:
For the past few years, the Seattle Fire Department has been working in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities to achieve greater fire protection in Arbor Heights. Since 2011, SPU has updated the water mains, added fire hydrants, and has installed red rings to clearly identify low-flow hydrants. These additional measures assist the Seattle Fire Department with our fire-suppression tactics and also provide an increased level of safety and fire protection to the residents in Arbor Heights.
Each Seattle Fire Engine carries 500 gallons of water, enough to extinguish an entire room fire. Also every fire engine is equipped with 1000 feet of hose line. This is enough hose to reach the 1000 gallons-per-minute (gpm) hydrants which SPU has placed within 1000 feet of all residences in the city.
Concern surfaced after SPU announced it’s working this month to place reflective red rings on the remaining “low-flow” hydrants; we first published the map above on Monday showing their locations – click the image to get a larger PDF of the full citywide map.
Following up on the Seattle Public Utilities announcement published here last night regarding work starting today to place reflective red rings on the city’s 70 remaining low-flow hydrants, so firefighters can make fast decisions when arriving at fire scenes – we now have the map and list of locations from SPU. What you see above is the West Seattle section of the map; click it to get a PDF of the full-size citywide map. And if you see one you want to know more about, click here for the PDF list of exact addresses. We count 28 served by West Seattle fire engines (note the E37, E32, and E29 designations). Three are listed as being in the unincorporated North Highline area just south of West Seattle, and one is in the area served by South Park’s Engine 26. SPU says it expects to have all of the low-flow hydrants – which, it stresses, are fully operational, but just deliver less than 500 gallons per minute – marked by the end of the month.
More utility news tonight: Seattle Public Utilities plans to start work tomorrow to ensure that the city’s remaining low-flow fire hydrants are clearly identifiable. It’s an issue that came glaringly to light during the August 2011 fire that destroyed a home in Arbor Heights while firefighters struggled to get an appropriate water flow. That area has seen hydrant and water-line upgrades since then, and the city reported later that year that it was working on how to clearly mark the low-flow hydrants that remain in service within city limits, about half of them in West Seattle. Here’s the SPU announcement:
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) crews will install a red reflective ring on low-flow fire hydrants in your neighborhood. Low-flow hydrants are defined as those that deliver less than 500 gallons of water per minute.
The red ring provides a distinct and very visible way for Seattle Fire Department personnel to quickly and easily identify low-flow hydrants in cases of emergency.
Low-flow hydrants are fully operational, but output less water per minute than other hydrants.
This morning, Roxhill Elementary principal Sahnica Washington greeted scholars arriving by bus – two blocks north of campus! Here’s why: All month, Roxhill families have been part of “walking school buses” – and today was a chance for bus-transported scholars to join in too, with the help of Feet First and the state Transportation Department:
FF even brought along its famous giant Chicken (as in, “why did the chicken cross the road …”)
Crossing the road – and walking along it – will soon be even safer for kids headed toward Roxhill, which, as explained in the Feet First announcement, “is the recipient of a Safe Routes to School grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation. This grant will fund a new sidewalk on SW 30th immediately south of Roxbury, and improvements to the intersection of SW 30th Ave and SW Roxbury, due for construction in the summer of 2013.”
(5/7/2013 photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Less than two weeks after 54-year-old Lance David died at East Marginal and Hanford after his bicycle collided with a truck, and one week after participating in a memorial ride to that site, Mayor McGinn says today that he’s asking the City Council to approve $900,000 in safety improvements to that area, and about half a million for lower Spokane St. and feeder roads such as Delridge and Admiral. Read on for the official announcement, which includes other proposed work around the city:
“Click It or Ticket” will also be “Hands Off Your Phone, or Else” starting later this month, warns the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, which just announced: “Between May 20 and June 2, motorists in King County can expect to see law enforcement patrolling city and county roads in search of unbuckled drivers and passengers and drivers using their cell phones. Last year, during this same time period, officers on routine and extra patrols statewide issued 3,171 seat belt violations amongst the 11,047 motorists who were stopped. Similarly, last year during this time period, 1,059 cell phone violations were written.” The departments that’ll participate in these patrols include Seattle Police, says WTSC.
(Tuesday photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Since the deadly crash on East Marginal Way eight days ago, much has been said about improving the route bicyclists from West Seattle (and points southward) take to get downtown and beyond. This morning, City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen – shown above during Tuesday evening’s memorial ride/gathering (WSB coverage here) – asked us to share this update:
Plans to Improve Bicycle Route from West Seattle to Downtown
Tom Rasmussen, Transportation Committee Chair, Seattle City CouncilLast week’s fatal collision between a bicyclist and a truck resulted in an outpouring of grief for the death of Lance David and sympathy for his family. While we are not certain what led to the collision, I am determined to improve conditions on this route that will benefit bicyclists and motorists.
Last week I completed and posted my newsletter. The main subject is Seattle’s bicycle plans and policies. Here is a link to the newsletter.
A few days after the article was posted, I held a work session with SDOT staff. We pored over a large map of the route to identify options for improvements. I know this route, and I bicycle along this route to and from work when my meeting schedule permits. It is very challenging because of the heavy traffic and the many and sometimes confusing crossings. There are long stretches where the streets have been pulverized by the mammoth trucks going to and from the Port. The conditions require extra caution on everyone’s part, whether they bicycle or drive this route.
Please know that it did not take this heartbreaking fatality to bring attention for the need to improve this route. Last fall, the City Council increased the 2013 SDOT budget for bicycle improvements city-wide. We specifically funded planning for improvements to portions of the West Seattle route to downtown.
During the next several weeks I will continue to work with SDOT and members of the community to develop a plan for improvements to the West Seattle – East Marginal Way bike corridor. I am determined to implement those plans as soon as possible.
The many suggestions during the past week in the comments section of the West Seattle Blog are very helpful. If you have other suggestions for improvement, please post them in the comment section or write me at tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov. Thank you.
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
6:42 PM: At a time when most people riding their bicycles on the low bridge are headed westbound for home, dozens were eastbound this evening, riding in memory of Lance David. He’s the 54-year-old Federal Way man killed last Wednesday morning when his bike collided with a semi-truck on East Marginal Way, along the route so many West Seattle riders take toward the port and downtown. The deadly crash has brought both mourning and calls for action, and SDOT is evaluating the area to see what safety measures can be taken relatively quickly. Local bicycling/safety advocates from West Seattle Bike Connections and West Seattle Greenways organized tonight’s ride to both honor a fellow rider and emphasize the urgent need for safety improvements.
(More of Christopher’s photos added 7:36 pm)
ADDED: WSB’s Christopher Boffoli reports that the participants included Mayor McGinn and Councilmember Tom Rasmussen.
Seattle Police bicycle officers also accompanied the riders:
City Bicycle Advisory Board member Jodi Connolly of West Seattle participated too, and spoke at the site where the crash happened:
The board regularly meets on first Wednesdays, which meant its May meeting was hours after the deadly crash, discussed several times that night, as we reported afterward.
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