West Seattle safety: Sidewalk construction under way on 30th SW

| Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

Thanks to Joe Szilagyi from the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council (which meets tonight) and the West Seattle Transportation Coalition (which meets a week from tonight) for the photo – long-awaited sidewalk construction is under way on 30th SW, between SW 97th and SW Roxbury. It’s part of a safety project focused on helping kids get to and from Roxhill Elementary; the full scope of the project is described on this SDOT webpage. Joe says the crews on scene estimate the work will last four to six weeks, depending on the weather.

Josh January 7, 2014 (6:10 pm)

Thanks Joe for taking this photo and WSB for the update. I know there are a lot of kids on this street, including the private school a little further south. Does anyone know if they are putting speedbumps in or repaving? It’s a pretty rough street.

dsa January 7, 2014 (8:24 pm)

I can’t tell for sure where they plan to use the modified curb ramps for wheelchairs as shown on sheets 22 and 23. But for the safety of everyone else, according to http://www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/chap6toolkit.htm Section E: ” Curb ramps must have flared sides if people are required to walk across them….”
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Flared is what we are used to seeing. Seattle is proposing to use square cuts with ankle busting curbs in certain places.

timh2o January 7, 2014 (9:01 pm)

DSA,
The square cut your talking about is used adjacent to planter areas normally. A curb is placed to hold back the material in a planter or where wings will not fit a curb ramp design. An example would be a power pole in the radius or a tree that would prevent the more common wings. I’ve never heard of anyone breaking an ankle due to this design.

dsa January 7, 2014 (9:23 pm)

Thanks Tim, I hope you are correct about placement in these and future cases. Your description sounds like a reasonable accommodation.
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However it is placing a curb where one is not expected to be. So a fall could easily happen if that curb is not restricted by something else.

metrognome January 8, 2014 (9:43 am)

dsa — nice catch on the curb ramp design options. timh2o is correct that the ‘box’ design is allowed where there is a garden, etc. that abuts the side of the ramp. However, as a wheelchair user, I really dislike the ‘box’ design as it requires one to make a sharp right angle turn to access the ramp which can be difficult on sloped or wet surfaces. Also, some power mobility aid users can’t see the ground due to limited neck mobility or something like a lap tray or communication device that blocks their view.
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In my opinion, the ‘box’ cuts should be installed only where absolutely necessary based on specific conditions at that site (the desire to have a grass planting strip shouldn’t be a reason.) They should be at least 6″ wider than the minimum requirement to allow for variations in individual abilities to control a manual or powered mobility aid. Also, the curbs do represent a trip hazard.

Alan Kirlin January 8, 2014 (9:55 pm)

Yea, we are getting our sidewalk.
I live just down the street and watching the progress every day now.
FYI.
It took over 4 years of writing emails to the City of Seattle to get this sidewalk. I am not complaining but just wanted to let everyone know it takes time to get an improvement like this. So don’t give up when they say there is not enough money, keep trying.
I would like to have my neighbors look at my website. mediconerestoration.com.
Its about Seattle’s first Medic One 1969.
Another project of mine that I am not going to give up on.
Alan Kirlin

argonautter January 8, 2014 (10:47 pm)

I drive this street most weekdays, and there is almost always at least one pedestrian walking in the street or soft shoulder. I applaud those of you who helped make this project a reality. Now if only they would do something about the timing of the crosswalk across Barton on 30th. It takes an extraordinary amount of time to get a walk signal with several schools and a shopping center close by.

miws January 9, 2014 (7:59 am)

argonauter, the light at 30th & Barton has been Evil for at least 38 years now.

Back during my Senior year of ’75-’76 at Sealth and living in Arbor Heights at 102nd & 33rd, myself and a couple other guys in my household walked that route pretty much every day, as I recall.

We were already pretty hacked off considering the School District had changed the boundaries for bus service to two(?) miles, and wee were forced to walk (uphill, four feet of snow both ways), whereas we had had bus service the previous two years. ;-)

Mike

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