UPDATE: Pedestrian hit on SW Barton by Westwood Village

5:30 PM: Thanks for the tips – we’ve just checked out the incident that has eastbound Barton blocked across from central Westwood Village, west of 26th SW. Emergency responders tell us a female pedestrian was hit while crossing there. She’s being taken to the hospital by private ambulance, indicating her injuries are not life-threatening.

5:44 PM: Our crew tells us police and fire have all cleared the scene and the road is open again. Community advocates have long lobbied for safety improvements there, and SDOT indicated at a recent meeting that some are finally in the works.

Ray March 11, 2016 (7:16 pm)

Horrible.

That whole block is just miserable design, with the “road diet” forced by the ridiculous medians, the buses forcing the narrow single lane, etc. Add to that pedestrians that pop out from in front of the busses like rabbits in spotlights.

SDOT designed a literal deathtrap there that should be completely redesigned, starting with removing the curbed medians.

AMD March 11, 2016 (9:31 pm)

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been nearly hit by people swerving and speeding to get around buses that are stopped to let people on and off. Not at that intersection, at nearly every stop I’ve used.

That intersection and crosswalk is already terrible, I don’t even want to think about how much worse it would be if cars had the ability to try and go around the buses there. It would be a nightmare.

old timer March 11, 2016 (8:04 pm)

I hope the folks who redesign this messy confluence of competing uses start with a clean piece of paper and design what will successfully accommodate all the uses, and then build it.

Make it work, and make certain that it is extremely well illuminated.

jon rodes March 11, 2016 (8:37 pm)

RAY is right. Are you serious. Blind cross walk with buses blocking the road eastbound. WE AVOID WESTWOOD due to stupidity and spend our money in Burien. Even parking in Westwoodf villiage sucks. FIX IT !

West Seattle Hipster March 11, 2016 (9:09 pm)

The wall of buses hampers visibility of speeding drivers, but I have also noticed many drivers refusing to yield to pedestrians who are in the crosswalk there. Many a middle finger I have extended to speeding drivers who ignore the sanctity of that crosswalk.

Emphasis patrols?

Rick March 12, 2016 (6:16 am)

Well, there’s the laws of man and the laws of nature. Pretty sure who wins. Everytime. Assume the worst,hope for the best and stay safe.

Seattlite March 11, 2016 (9:12 pm)

I shop at Target and B&N and am always extra cautious when driving near that crosswalk. Even the bus drivers dart out into the street from between the buses. All bus bump outs that were installed like the one at Fauntleroy and California need to be taken out. Safety and good traffic flow should always be a part of SDOT’s road designs.

Joe Szilagyi March 11, 2016 (11:33 pm)

It needs to be a controlled crosswalk with a red light, full stop. User activated buttons. There are few enough pedestrians spread out across bus cycles that the traffic impact of the double red lights and the nearby one from the QFC Westwood entrance are negligible.

Sarah March 11, 2016 (11:36 pm)

Bus bumps are the #1 most dangerous addition to traffic woes. Remove every single one, please. Who ever thought they were a good idea? Dangerous for people and bicyclists. Expensive nonsense.

Rick March 12, 2016 (6:10 am)

Just throw in an overhead covered crosswalk with escalators and those people mover sidewalks like at the airports and maybe a kid friendly Whiskey Bar and Starbucks at either end and sell advertising on the sides to make it self sufficient. Easy peasy. I know,a bit early for sarcasm but I’m usually up at 3:30AM and it’s almost lunchtime.

Deb March 12, 2016 (6:46 am)

People get off the buses and walk out to cross the street between the buses. Not looking, not using the crosswalk.

JoB March 12, 2016 (7:13 am)

that is an exceedingly dangerous crosswalk…

iggy March 12, 2016 (8:26 am)

Part of the problem is that though the official bus stop is at the crosswalk by Barnes & Noble, the Rapid Ride stops way, way, way up the block at the end of the line of buses. One exits the bus into a sea of grassy mud (parking strip) and then has a long, long slog up to the crosswalk past the sea of buses on the left and the ill-lighted park on the right. Some people who want to go to Target will cross mid-block rather than walking all the long way to the crosswalk and then backtracking to Target. The worst offenders are actually the bus drivers! They go to use the bathrooms at Target and cross where their buses have parked, not walking up to the crosswalk.

Sarah B March 12, 2016 (7:52 pm)

That design is a nightmare for kids walking to and from school. Also for pedestrians using the crosswalks. It falls under the drivers using the roads to pay attention and slow the f**k down. Everyone is in such a hurry these days that they don’t seem to think of the damage and life long effects it will have on the people they hurt/kill in the process.

Matt March 14, 2016 (9:50 am)

So many people talking about speed of drivers being the issue. Way more common is the oblivious driver 5-10mph under the speed limit that can’t seem to stop for pedestrians clearly waiting to cross. I am quite confident that 8 out of 10 times there is a phone involved, that is the real issue.

Ben March 14, 2016 (10:10 am)

Good point. People are oblivious to the fact someone is behind them, and often in front of them like a pedestrian trying to cross legally. There are a ton of jaywalkers out there too, head buried in the device instead of the real world. God help us all.

Ben March 14, 2016 (10:15 am)

Been here long enough to remember when this stretch of road was a plain old curb parking zone. People parked their vehicles for days with for sale signs so I think that is why the city changed it to a 4 hour zone. A few years later came the bus only zone. Maybe if people wouldn’t have abused it, it would have remained for general parking instead of what it has become (transit hub with issues detailed here for years). But maybe it was destined to happen based on Seattle’s “vision”.

Sorry, comment time is over.