FOLLOWUP: Madison Middle School principal’s reminder about ‘School Street’ on 45th SW starting next week

As we first reported last month, 45th SW in front of Madison Middle School will become a “School Street” – closed to through traffic – 7 am-5 pm on school days starting Monday (January 13). Today, Madison principal Dr. Robert Gary Jr. sent the following reminder to Madison families, several of whom forwarded it to us with the suggestion that the wider community be reminded too:

Dear Madison Parents, and Guardians,

I hope this message finds you all well in the New Year. I am writing to you today to share more about the safety street closure on 45th Avenue SW between Hinds and Spokane that will begin next week. This street closure will reduce the likelihood of accidents and encourage alternative forms of transportation. As a school principal, the safety and well-being of our students are always my top priority, and I believe this closure will help foster a safer, healthier, and more sustainable environment for everyone in our community.

Traffic congestion around school zones is a major concern, particularly during the busy drop-off and pick-up times. Unfortunately, this heavy traffic can increase the likelihood of accidents, particularly involving pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users. By temporarily closing off certain streets during peak hours, we can reduce congestion and provide a safer, less stressful space for our students to walk, bike, or scooter to and from school. There have been too many “near misses” in crosswalks, illegal U-turns, and high-speed drivers around the school in recent months and we are grateful to the City of Seattle for taking this proactive step with us.

Additionally, we hope this will encourage families to explore alternative forms of transportation. Walking, biking, public transit, or carpooling can not only reduce traffic but also promote physical activity and environmental responsibility. These options offer great benefits to both the health of our students and the overall well-being of our community. Please remember we have the covered bicycle and scooter parking off the North parking lot for student and staff use. If driving is the only option for you, we encourage dropping students off at least one block from the school to alleviate congestion during this transition on neighboring streets. Any students or families needing ADA accessibility can be accommodated in the safety zone.

This safety street closure is not just about reducing risk; it’s about fostering a culture of safety, wellness, and sustainability. By taking proactive steps now, we can create a safer and more positive school environment for our children and set an example for other communities to follow.

I understand that change can sometimes be challenging, but I truly believe this is an important step toward a safer future for our students. I encourage you to support this initiative, and I am available to answer any questions or discuss any concerns you may have.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to making our school and community a better place.

Here’s the official SDOT flyer about the change. When we asked SDOT last month about the process for approving School Streets, they replied, “School Streets are requested by schools and reviewed and approved by SDOT as long as they meet the criteria (more detail on the criteria on the webpage).

24 Replies to "FOLLOWUP: Madison Middle School principal's reminder about 'School Street' on 45th SW starting next week"

  • Sam January 9, 2025 (5:57 pm)

    This is so stupid in my opinion!  and is unfair to people who live in this neighborhood or people who are used to driving on this street.

    • Concerned Joe January 9, 2025 (9:10 pm)

      Do you live on that block or drive regularly on that street?

    • walkerws January 10, 2025 (9:04 am)

      It’s not really unfair. There are streets on either side that people can drive on instead. It’s a good thing that your opinion – which has no basis in a factual understanding of road safety research – is not being taken into account here.

      • Thomas January 10, 2025 (1:51 pm)

        I would encourage you to come and see what happens on 44th every single day!Parents in a rush blow down the street at unsafe speeds.Drivers don’t yield to pedestrians they just fly through the intersections.Closing 45 th does nothing to alleviate this problem. A compromise on the hours the street is closed seems reasonable.

        • 3400 Block January 10, 2025 (7:05 pm)

          Hi, Thomas,

          I live on 44th.  I approve of the closure on 45th. 

          Why should we who live on 44th deserve less traffic than those on 45th?  And even if our traffic is increased, it is factually not 100% of the cars that previously used 45th. 

          If you dislike people driving, as it sounds like you do–and no shame there, it’s okay to dislike cars!–support higher gas taxes, nonsubsidized public parking, and other infrastructure changes to encourage the changes you’d like to see. 

          Otherwise aren’t you just a NIMBY?  Aren’t you just saying traffic is fine, just not on my street.

      • Al King January 10, 2025 (5:24 pm)

        Assuming you don’t live on that street either so your opinion is based on????

    • Elton January 10, 2025 (10:27 am)

      If your commute is centered around crossing this one stretch of 45th Ave SW during school hours, you need to take a closer look in the mirror because you are picking a really inefficient route to get around.

  • Thomas January 9, 2025 (8:00 pm)

    I hope WSB will be out here taking photographs of the nightmare this is going to create for the neighborhood. Once again the congestion has been caused by the parents of the students.The near misses are a result of the parents not people living in the neighborhood! To inconvenience and penalize those living around Madison is ludicrous. I don’t object to restriction s for certain hours but all day is totally unnecessary. 

    • Bbron January 10, 2025 (1:39 am)

      Yes, it’ll be a complete nightmare and inhumane treatment for those living in the neighborhood. if only there were 2 redundant, parallel streets a tenth of a mile to either the East or West of this 1 block section of 45th to mitigate this disaster in the making 😭 oh well, wailing and gnashing of teeth it’ll have to be.

    • K January 10, 2025 (6:32 am)

      You are welcome to take photographs yourself and text or e-mail them to WSB.  Info can be found under “contact”.

    • Jon Wright January 10, 2025 (8:33 am)

      Having to drive a block to the east or west is a pretty stiff penalty. Thoughts and prayers.

    • walkerws January 10, 2025 (9:05 am)

      Your criteria for a “nightmare” is rather mild, it would seem.

  • David January 9, 2025 (8:13 pm)

    What about the people who live on the street and park there?

    • A January 9, 2025 (10:27 pm)

      The flyer explicitly says that local access is allowed, see the purple box.

    • Lagartija Nick January 10, 2025 (9:18 am)

      They will forever be entombed in their homes, never free to see the blessed sun again.

  • Pump the brakes January 9, 2025 (11:14 pm)

    Every school in West Seattle has a similar problem. Pathfinder, Genesee Hill, Alki, West Seattle High School all have challenges that I’ve witnessed first hand by parents making poor choices when driving to and from school. Usually going way too fast or distracted, sometimes both. I’ve had near misses when driving, walking and riding my bike. I’m glad Madison is striving to make things safer. Yes, it’ll inconvenience the neighbors at drop off and pick up times, but it is well worth it. Less than an hour on either end of the day. Parents, you can slow down when getting your kid to school or when you are picking them up. A few extra minutes isn’t going to be the end of your world.  

  • Oerthehillz January 10, 2025 (9:06 am)

    This does not only affect the neighborhood during early morning drop off and afternoon pick ups. Currently an entire line of parked cars line the curb on 45th from Spokane to Hinds, all day long. These are homeowners in part, but mostly employees (I watch this street regularily) and other visitors coming to the school. This is pushing a lot of parking cars to other streets. 

  • Pinto January 10, 2025 (9:14 am)

    So if parents are requested to drop off at intersections like Hanford and 45th, a block away, that have no traffic calming measures nor crosswalks, than it seems like they are making the walk or bicycle ride for students more dangerous, not less. 

  • Scarlett January 10, 2025 (9:46 am)

    In most states I’ve lived a street closure of this nature, especially in front of a school where the safety of students is concerned, this would not even be an issue.  One thing to have  objections with a Healthy Street closure…but this?  Head-scratching. 

  • AK January 10, 2025 (10:15 am)

    What a nightmare and a waste!

  • Gina January 10, 2025 (12:20 pm)

    The broken signs at California and Lander are all that remain from the Lafayette school street, but the 4 way stops were a great addition 

  • Admiral-2009 January 10, 2025 (4:27 pm)

    SDoT accident data from 2006 to June 2023 showed 3 crashes in front of the school on 45th Ave. SW between SW Hinds and Hanford Streets, one property damage and two mid block with minimal information noted.  There have been zero incidents after June 21st, 2013, thus no incidents for 10 years!  

  • WS5 January 10, 2025 (11:48 pm)

    If students and parents would put their phones down and watch where they are going in the driver’s seat or on foot, there may not be as many close calls.  I live in the neighborhood my 3 kids went to Madison and walked to school; they never had an issue. Why after so many years are there issues?  When I am driving down 45th I often see kids crossing streets with their eyes on their phones instead of watching for cars.  Silly to have to close a street, isn’t this just going to move the issues to another block.

  • WS5 January 11, 2025 (4:11 pm)

    Maybe if students and drivers would put their phones down and
    watch where they are going in the driver’s seat or on foot, there may not be as
    many close calls.  I live in the neighborhood my 3 kids went to Madison
    and walked to school; they never had an issue, and this was before the stop
    signs that have been added all around the school. Why after so many years are
    there issues?  When I am driving down 45th I often see kids crossing
    streets with their eyes on their phones instead of watching for cars. 
    Silly to have to close a street, isn’t this just going to move the issues to
    another block.

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