Remember “Viadoom” week, when Seattle Police cited a couple dozen drivers for bus-lane violations on the West Seattle Bridge? According to the latest roundup on SPD Blotter, they were out looking again today, and cited 8 more. Speeders too – including 76 mph in the bridge’s 45 mph zone – and some school-zone citations elsewhere in West Seattle. Details here.
Thank you, SPD! Speeding and reckless driving (including illegal cell phone use and texting) are serious issues with serious consequences. I am so glad to see SPD out there giving tickets. I wonder… If someone is doing 76mph in a 45 zone, do they get their license suspended? Because they should.
where do you all get your drivers license?…From a box of Cracker Jacks?
nice to see the enforcement. they like to patrol Highland Park Drive too. Yesterday a cop passed me on the hill doing a good 45 MPH plus in a 30 MPH zone. No lights on, did not appear to be chasing anyone….he was just breaking the law himself.
Separate, though related issue…
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This afternoon (around 2:15pm) I was driving north on California near RiteAid (@Dawson) and noticed an elderly woman trying to cross west-to-east via the cross-walk. I stopped and she started to cross. A blue and white Mini Cooper was heading south and didn’t show any signs of slowing down. The pedestrian was at least 5 steps from the curb when – fortunately – she realized the driver had no intention of stopping. She turned around and hustled back to the curb as the Mini cruised past.
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The female driver gave me a quizzical look as she sped by – as if to ask “why are you stopped there?”
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I recall a WSB report several months ago of a very similar incident at this exact location with a much worse outcome. Maybe it’s time to monitor that intersection again too.
LincolnPark — a pedestrian was killed at that intersection just over 3 years ago:
https://westseattleblog.com/2008/10/staying-safe-on-the-sidewalks-and-streets-pedestrian-updates
LincolnPark- how very sad. I walk a lot in WS and cars not stopping at crosswalks is so common, I’d say upwards of 50% of cars don’t stop. When someone does stop, my children excitedly wave and joke they are the driver of the year.
There have been times on Alki when we’ve watched 5 or 6 cars pass by before someone stops to let us cross.
That’s a bad crosswalk. I work close to it and have seen many close calls. Myself included. It should be re-located to the south intersection (West Seattle Nursery)where Brandon St. goes through (east/west) and visibility is much better. Dawson St. dead ends into the Rite Aid parking lot with a bus stop and lots of trees so visibility is not so good. Mebbee it’s time to call city hall. I’ve lived all over the country and seriously, we have some of the worst drivers here in Seattle.
Please continue with these enforcements! People are driving so fast up Admiral we can’t get out of our neighborhoods safely. It’s becoming more dangerous every month. There is a significant increase in speeding.
I saw two of the cars get pulled over by SPD – it made my morning. They were both just zipping along in the bus only lane when they both noticed SPD driving in the right lane. They slammed on their brakes and scooted in behind the cruiser like he wouldn’t notice. At the bottom of the hill both were pulled over. I hope they were both very late to their jobs. It’s a sign of pure entitlement – they think their time is more important than the people who follow the rules.
I’d like to see them also focus on the intersection of Harbor/Avalon where you turn onto the bridge near Luna Park. People coming from Harbor and turning left onto the bridge ramp rarely yield (as the sign reminds them) to the people turning right off Avalon on the green light. Today our bus was cut off by someone racing to get there first. I see it almost every time I’m at that intersection, which is often.
Lincoln Park, I tried to cross at that crosswalk once last summer and was unable to cross. Nobody would stop. The flags that are supposed to ‘help’ were nowhere to be seen. People were using the flag holder as a garbage can.
@ Paul. – there are no prizes in the cracker jack box anymore. Hahahaha. Which makes your point exactly! :)
The Rite Aid crosswalk has been an issue for years and even with the death of that lady.nothing changed.Those huge bushy trees block the light and darken the walk making it impossible to see people.The trees are never trimmed back and theres not enough sufficient lighting.I challenged my passengers one day driving past that crosswalk and they mentioned it as well.I rarely go by that way now simply because Ive seen too many close calls and dont care to witness a fatality.
Speeding tickets won’t stop speeding any more than any other law enforcement prevents crime. People will drive at speeds they feel safe at given the road and driving conditions. If you want people to slow down you will have to change the road — make the lanes narrower, add in curves, speedbumps etc.
If we tore down the West Seattle bridge all together and just kept the low bridge that would be another way to end speeding and the use of the bus lane.
I agree with the comments that the Dawson crosswalk has poor visibility and could be located in a safer spot. That said, there is no way the driver of that Mini could have missed seeing the pedestrian… unless she was looking elsewhere. She was walking directly in the car’s path. It was afternoon – still with plenty of daylight.
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I was stopped in the on-coming lane well before the Mini reached the crosswalk – which should have been another indication to slow down and pay attention.
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I couldn’t tell if she was looking at a cell phone, but I’m positive she wasn’t looking at the road ahead of her.
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And yes – it was frightening. I saw the entire situation develop. I thought about honking, but was concerned the driver would look at me and not the pedestrian – or that the pedestrian would turn her attention to me and not notice the on-coming car. Instead I sat and cringed…
How about we take some of the money going toward bike lanes/sharrows and get a lighted crosswalk at the SW Dawson crosswalk like they have on 16th in White Center, iirc south of the Taco Time?
Ex-WR — not sure what kind of crosswalk that is, but studies show mixed results for anything that is not a fully controlled intersection. There are so many distractions along the typical arterial that flashing Xwalk lights just become one more distraction; if they flash permanently (instead of being activated by the ped), drivers just get used to them and ignore them because they don’t actually signal that someone is using the crosswalk. In addition, they provide a false sense of security and peds are more likely to walk out in front of oncoming traffic without checking to see if it is safe, because they feel ‘protected’ by the flashing lights.
http://www.techtransfer.berkeley.edu/newsletter/03-2/crosswalk.php
How about we cancel the tunnel and use the funds intended for that monstrosity to REALLY improve the situation for pedestrians and cyclists in this city?
Metro,
The cross walk is slightly raised and along its borders, where the 6 inch white lines are, there are yellow flashers imbedded in the pavement that are activated by a push button switch by the pedestrian. Also there is a “Crosswalk” lighted sign across and above the roadway that is lighted. It really helps. esp at night to see the crosswalk and persons using it. Think of it like the crosswalks in the junction, but with flashers imbedded into the street, but not raised as high.
I know I have stopped to let someone cross because of the flashers at night.
Sorry, comment time is over.
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