YOUR VOICE, YOUR CHOICE: 4 West Seattle projects win

The 44th/45th/Admiral crossing-safety proposal is one of four West Seattle projects that the city has just announced as winners in the latest round of Your Voice, Your Choice voting. Lafayette Elementary families who were already pushing for safety improvements at the intersection got involved in promoting voting before it closed two months ago. From the city’s announcement:

More than 6500 community members voted for their favorite park and street projects and the 22 projects have been selected. It’s all part of the City’s Your Voice, Your Choice: Parks & Streets, a participatory budgeting program in which community members democratically decide how to spend a portion of the City’s budget. …

… The projects were selected from more than 600 ideas submitted in January by community members across Seattle. More than 1200 participated in evaluating and prioritizing the ideas based on the need and community benefits. Then during the month of October, 6500 community members ages 11 and above voted by Council District for their favorite projects online and at in-person polling stations at Seattle libraries. The top-voted projects were all focused on street improvements which will be implemented by Seattle Department of Transportation in 2020.

With $2 million available for projects, a maximum of $190,500 was allocated for each City Council District. The remaining $666,600 is going towards eight projects in the City’s Equity and Environment Initiative Focus Areas—geographic areas where communities of color, immigrants, refugees, people with low incomes, Native peoples, and limited-English proficiency individuals tend to live.

Seattle is one of over 3,000 cities around the globe including Chicago, New York, and Boston that implements participatory budgeting. Your Voice, Your Choice is managed by Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.

For more information on Your Voice, Your Choice, visit our website or contact Program Coordinator Shaquan Smith at shaquan.smith@seattle.gov). For information on project implementation, visit Seattle Department of Transportation’s YVYC webpage or email yvyc_projects@seattle.gov.

2019 Your Voice, Your Choice Results

DISTRICT 1

Admiral: Crossing Improvements on intersection of SW Admiral Way and 44th Ave SW (Cost: $120,000; Votes received 554)
Alki: Calming Improvements on 61st Avenue SW between SW Admiral Way and Beach Drive SW (Cost: $30,000; Votes received: 428
Highland Park: Crossing Improvements on 16th Ave SW & SW Holden St (Cost: $30,000, Votes received: 293)*
South Delridge: Sidewalk/Trail Improvements on SW Barton St between 21st Ave SW and SW Barton Pl (Cost: $112,700; Votes received: 261)*

Eleven projects were voted on – this story from September includes links to the proposals, including the ones that won, if you’re looking for details.

Hollye Bondurant November 20, 2019 (10:27 pm)

Thank you West Seattle Blog for your coverage of this program. I walk with my kids every day to school usually with 1-2 other families near this intersection (44th and Admiral). A crosswalk at 45th and Admiral makes a lot of sense for kids who walk to Lafayette and Madison Middle School in our neighborhood. I would use it every school day feeling a bit safer. To be honest, I would not have participated in this program had it not affected me directly. I did not know about it. But it does bring awareness and community involvement to a process for improving safety. Thank you to everyone who supported this project, came to a rally, and voted. We make a difference!

John M November 23, 2019 (10:12 am)

Just painting a left turn lane at 16th and Holden won’t change anything. The left lane is always left turners. The drivers who want to go straight on 16th southbound use the right lane. Cars will still stack up down Austin or up 16th. It really needs a signal that lets north and south traffic go on separate green lights. Those of us who want to go straight on16th southbound are held up by left turn drivers who block both lanes as they try to get in the left lane coming up from Austin.

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