West Seattle safety: Avalon/Yancy crosswalk in place

Reminder for everyone who travels the busy multipoint Avalon/Yancy/30th/Andover intersection between The Triangle and Luna Park – the last major component of the safety project is in place now, the striped intersection you see in our photo, and the pedestrian-activated flashing-light signs on both sides of it, so please be extra watchful. SDOT pointed out – when announcing exactly two months ago that the project was about to begin – that this was a Neighborhood Street Fund project proposed via the Delridge District Council.

Marc May 11, 2016 (4:45 pm)

This is good news. This crossing has always been the most dangerous part of my bike commute to downtown. I’m glad that someone saw the problem and fixed it.

AvalonDriver May 11, 2016 (8:53 pm)

Now if only the pedestrians would activate the flashing lights.

HP Steve May 11, 2016 (9:51 pm)

@Avalondriver – I think you mean, “Now if only the pedestrians COULD activate the flashing lights.” As of this afternoon it looks like the project folks were working on the wiring and activators.

Hopefully drivers will remain alert in the area.

Sandra Smith May 11, 2016 (9:52 pm)

Alas,

As an elderly person who has walked around West Seattle a lot in the past dozen years, I must say that a ‘crosswalk’ gives me no confidence whatever that it is a safe place for a pedestrian.

In the past year I have found more and more that drivers of cars seem to be totally unaware of the law that requires them to yield the crosswalk to a pedestrian (see page 32 of the Department of Licensing Washington Driver Guide-“You must yield to pedestrians in or about to enter a crosswalk.” I have had far too many cars speed in front of me and come awfully close behind me when I am clearly trying to make my way across the street.

Does it have something to do with so many new people in town? Could the DMV perhaps toughen up the Washington State Driver’s Test?

Thanks for the westseattleblog to give me a chance to vent on this subject.

John May 12, 2016 (9:49 am)

This is great news for bikers! Really bad news for cars. 100’s of bikers come through that intersection meaning the cars will be stopping a lot. That is one nasty intersection. There’s also a young man with special needs who crosses here. Every once in a while I’ll be at the intersection with him and we’ll cross together. Other bikers have done the same. This is great for him!

@Sandra….. I too walk a great deal around West Seattle and you’re correct. Very few people actually yield to me even when I’m off the curb and standing in the crosswalk. The law actually continues and says the driver can’t enter the crosswalk until the pedestrian is out of the cross walk and on the opposite curb.

Sorry, comment time is over.