UPDATE: Crash at 29th/Thistle

4:37 PM: Thanks for the tip. SW Thistle is closed between 28th and 30th right now – in the Southwest Pool vicinity – because of a crash. We’re seeing one badly damaged vehicle at the scene but still trying to find out more about what happened; the driver is being taken to a hospital by private ambulance.

4:40 PM: We’re told the driver was coming down Thistle eastbound at high speed, hit the pedestrian island, lost control, hit a parked car, and came to a stop by the tennis courts west of Southwest Pool.

5:50 PM: SFD tells us the driver, a 22-year-old man, was in stable condition when transported.

K April 1, 2023 (4:53 pm)

Sounds about right!

Beto April 1, 2023 (5:32 pm)

That happens when people who are not very smart are behind the wheel. I’m glad no innocents were injured.

Rhonda April 1, 2023 (6:07 pm)

I’ve seen drivers who were going low speeds hit that concrete pedestrian island several times. It creates a narrow bottleneck.
Lisab April 1, 2023 (7:51 pm)

Agree, glad no innocents were hurt. Usually not the case.

Darryll April 1, 2023 (5:40 pm)

The spending on Thistle is a serious problem. There are so many young kids using this street. I’m really looking forward to the new speed humps.

anonyme April 1, 2023 (6:05 pm)

Speeding down a residential street is no different than walking down the street randomly shooting off a gun, and should be treated under the law as the public safety menace that it is. Maybe the insurance companies should also refuse to pay in cases of deliberate and reckless behavior. As it stands, there is virtually no punishment for this crime.

Everyone April 1, 2023 (7:53 pm)

Thistle may have homes on it, but it is an arterial not a residential street. Those traffic islands are a nuisance even at the slowest of speeds. Hope the young man is alright.

Auntie April 1, 2023 (8:40 pm)

I’ve never found the traffic islands to be a problem. Maybe because I’m (a) going the speed limit and, more importantly, (b) have my eyes on the road. If more people would slow down and drive while they are driving, instead of doing ten other things, there would be fewer needless crashes. Slow down and watch the road!
- K April 1, 2023 (10:05 pm)
  
  Same, not once have I had a problem with them driving. They encourage slower driving, which I appreciate as both a driver and pedestrian in the neighborhood.
KBear April 1, 2023 (11:01 pm)

Everyone, “arterial” and “residential” are not exclusive. Thistle is both, and the speed limit is 25.
- Shawn April 2, 2023 (9:14 am)
  
  No they are in fact mutually exclusive. A relatively high capacity road that has low speeds and residential access is a Collector road, designed to collect traffic into high speed (30-50 mph), signalized arterials roads. I don’t remember which particular road Thistle is, so I don’t have an opinion about if it’s a Collector or an Arterial, but I know it can’t be both at the same time.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collector_road
  - Math Teacher April 2, 2023 (10:43 am)
    
    Here’s a table of Seattle street classifications https://streetsillustrated.seattle.gov/street-type-standards/street-classification/Clearly, in Seattle, a street can be a “Collector Arterial”.
  - KBear April 2, 2023 (9:56 pm)
    
    Shawn, I don’t disagree that Thistle is an arterial (as defined in Seattle.) But your post about collector vs arterial misses my point. It is absolutely a “residential” street and the speed limit is 25, not “30-50”.

bill April 1, 2023 (9:16 pm)

The point of the nuisance bottlenecks is to make drivers SLOW DOWN! Why is this so hard?

SloRoll April 1, 2023 (10:10 pm)

Sounds like the pedestrian island did its job… you know, to slow people down. We need more of these to encourage safe speeds especially near schools and on arterials that see high speed traffic. The extra time you save, which is negligible, isn’t worth it.