FOLLOWUP: SDOT starts work on Duwamish Head diagonal parking conversion, and explains sign removal

12:28 PM: Thanks to Andrew for the photo! SDOT crews are working right now on the conversion of Duwamish Head diagonal parking spaces to parallel, for which District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka got $175,000 written into the city budget. Nearby residents had long been asking for the removal of the diagonal spaces, as a magnet for trouble, even a murder last year. Andrew’s photo came in as we were starting to write a related story – about last Friday’s removal of signage that SDOT had placed regarding this work and the proposal to create 150 new parallel spaces on the water side of Alki Avenue a bit further west.

We asked about the sign removal as soon as another reader asked (sending the photo shown above) on Friday; SDOT acknowledged the inquiry Friday but didn’t provide this reply until today (Phase 2 is a reference to the potential parallel-space installation):

Phase 2 status is currently under review. Staff will review the input from the survey before deciding on the next steps for the project. This ensures community feedback is considered as the process moves forward. In the meantime, we intend to move forward on the conversion of the Duwamish Head angled parking spaces to parallel parking.

SDOT removed the A-frame signs along Alki Avenue SW to avoid any misunderstandings about the work planned at Duwamish Head. We collected a large volume of public input from the survey responses so far and people can continue to provide input until June 22. Afterward, we’ll share the results and how they shaped the process and any decisions.

The reply also noted that they “expect to install (the diagonal-to-parallel) changes this week,” but as Andrew’s photo shows, that’s already under way. They told us that the conversion would mean a net loss of 10 street-parking spaces in that area. Meantime, though SDOT also initially attributed “Phase 2” to Saka as well, he said he’s against adding those spaces (though his budget item, as a commenter pointed out, mentioned not only the diagonal-space conversion but also the addition of on-street spaces on Alki Avenue nearby; we mentioned that in this November reportthe survey is indeed still open.

1:57 PM: Just went through, and the crew is gone:

Nobody seemed to have caught on to the new parallel parking opportunities yet. Looks like some work remains, however, such as grinding away the old parking lines, and removing the old signage that related to the angled parking.

Seattlite June 10, 2025 (12:40 pm)

Why is this SDOT project started in rapid time and other SDOT projects take years to start and end? One important SDOT correction that should have been made years ago is the onerous and dangerous bus bump out at the California Ave SW and Fauntleroy Ave SW intersection. This bump out causes intersection backups, irritation to drivers in a rush causing them to make bad driving decisions like passing northbound stopped buses, cars and going into head-on traffic that is flowing south…scary and dangerous.

DC June 10, 2025 (2:38 pm)

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The answer to dangerous and illegal driving is greater enforcement and suspension of people licenses. Once their license is suspended, they’ll have a chance to learn first hand the benefits of bus bump outs!!!
- Mox June 11, 2025 (8:55 am)
  
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  Or we could just design things so that people naturally follow the law without needing to punish them. Humane street design works with people’s instincts instead of against them.
Obviously Not Saka June 10, 2025 (2:45 pm)

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I drive through this intersection all the time and have no idea what “scary and dangerous” issue you’re talking about. If you’re concerned people are illegally passing buses headed north, adding a c-curb to the lane dividers would solve that.
- ET June 10, 2025 (6:36 pm)
  
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  You need to be here at night, 11pm, 12am, etc to see what the scary and dangerous everyones been talking about.
- L June 10, 2025 (6:45 pm)
  
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  People doing stunts, donuts, engine revving, racing all happen around and after midnight almost every night. Sometimes lasting into early morning. After those “events” and “parties”, you can always find empty cases of beer, broken bottles and things needed to do drugs like needles and foils. I know because I sometimes clean up their mess when I go for walks early in the morning. If those are not dangerous activities, I do not know what is.
  - DC June 11, 2025 (8:30 am)
    
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    @seattleite is very clearly talking about dangerous scary issues caused by bus bump outs. Pretty sure the issues you’re describing are unrelated…
Umbago June 10, 2025 (3:13 pm)

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Many safety improvements, including speed limits, work by slowing drivers down. If drivers are so irritated that they can’t drive safely, they should have their licenses suspended.
Jort June 11, 2025 (12:43 pm)

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Drivers being irritated that they can’t drive fast and zoom-zoom and pass a bus is not justification for a “safety concern.” Just admit you’re irritated and find whatever you need to find within yourself to come to peace with that.

MrWest June 10, 2025 (1:11 pm)

So dumb! 10 less parking spaces for people to enjoy the view. The trouble the beach brings won’t stop because of diagonal parking.

Elton June 11, 2025 (10:05 am)

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This is not at Alki, this is the Duwamish Head. Plenty of parking there whenever I pass by, which is almost daily.

We All Know What The Problem Is June 10, 2025 (1:32 pm)

Yes, it’s the PARKING SPACES causing all the trouble. Better get rid of those PARKING SPACES before anyone else gets hurt. Seattle is literally the dumbest city I have ever lived in.

Olive June 10, 2025 (5:02 pm)

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Literally?

VapoCOOL June 10, 2025 (1:37 pm)

Another $175K of tax payer money flushed down the toilet.

Brandon June 10, 2025 (1:40 pm)

Sad. Angled parking was a wonderful and simple in that area. Way to waste money and ruin it. Why not just put up a wall and get rid of the view? Then nobody will park there, and the no cars assault will be completed. Win win right? No, wait I don’t want to give civic leaders any more stupid ideas.

brewcity June 10, 2025 (1:57 pm)

That will stop the crime! Well done Rob, now leave Curby alone.

North Admiral Cyclist June 10, 2025 (2:47 pm)

Glad to see this change. The diagonal parking does not work at Alki. I hope the idea for replacing the loss of parking spaces near Duwamish Head with “additional parking” is given the kibosh. From what I see on a daily basis, for much of the week, the remaining parallel parking spaces at the north end are under-utilized (except for a few hours of the week in summer), anyway. What I’ve not seen reported on is what would happen to the King County Metro “#37” bus stop zones if they bring back more parking? The #37 bus stop signs are bagged along Alki and Beach Drive since the route was suspended during Covid. Does SDOT’s plan to add more parallel parking in effect eliminate the bus stops permanently – making it easier for King County to never bring back the #37 bus route?

Kyle June 10, 2025 (2:55 pm)

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My family can’t afford to live on Alki. It seems crazy to be removing parking and transit when this area needs more of both and there is space for it. The argument of crime = parking seems like something I’d expect out of DC right now.
- WS born and raised June 10, 2025 (3:27 pm)
  
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  Yes, your family can afford to live on Alki. Most everyone there is from a working class background. Most condos cost less than a house up in the admiral district. Most of us are retired and willing to sacrifice space for the ability to go outside and walk along the water. We are not privileged by any definition, just hardworking people that have always saved and planed for the future.
  - No, You’re Wrong June 10, 2025 (6:52 pm)
    
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    You don’t know what his family can afford. My double income no kids family can’t afford it, and neither can 5 of my friends that had to leave Alki in the last 8 years becuase their rents were raised unreasonable amounts. You sound like a real “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” disconnected boomer. The middle class is being wiped out. Your way of life is not available to the generations below you. Stop assuming everyone has the same post-war advantages you had.
    - Daniel June 10, 2025 (7:52 pm)
      
      If you can fit your family into a 470sqft 1br then you can afford to buy a condo on Alki proper if you… checks notes… make 1.25x median Seattle household income. Lol yea, not affordable on a working class income anymore.
  - Lauren June 10, 2025 (7:33 pm)
    
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    WS born and raised — I think the “born and raised” part matters a lot. Those of us who’ve grown up here likely had more opportunities to invest in property here earlier on, before it became VERY expensive. I know I did. When I bought in west Seattle, it was a stretch, but I was able to do it. Now… I would not be able to afford the home I’m currently living in, if I bought it today.

Dp June 10, 2025 (3:07 pm)

Nobody ever backed in there anyway. Glad they got rid of them.

Grumpy Old Man June 10, 2025 (3:21 pm)

How is this better? For most drivers, backing into a diagonal space is easier than parallel parking. Can’t wait to sit in a long line of traffic waiting for someone to attempt to park.

Azimuth June 10, 2025 (4:16 pm)

So what is that former parking space going to end up looking like and used for?

Kathy June 10, 2025 (4:23 pm)

More space for people, yay!

Admiral-2009 June 10, 2025 (5:02 pm)

There are a lot of seasoned bike riders that ride the street in this area. SDot has failed to accommodate these riders. Driver’s opening their doors without looking is a serious hazard that could have been easily mitigated by having a wider travel lane! This is exacerbated due to the center barrier that increases the risk to bike riders because a motorist behind a bike rider has no space to maneuver if a bike rider has to swerve suddenly to avoid a door.

The King June 10, 2025 (7:23 pm)

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My thoughts exactly. The parking spaces appear to be very narrow. The white van in the bottom picture is wider than the spot itself if that’s parking on that side. This looks dangerous
Kathy June 10, 2025 (7:37 pm)

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Take the lane if it’s narrow. Let the cars follow you. If you are not comfortable doing that, you should use the trail.
Burgerman June 10, 2025 (9:11 pm)

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No bicyclists should be riding in the street from Spokane Street all the way to the end of Alki Beach Park. There is literally a smooth wheels-only path that runs the entire length of this stretch. God forbid you slow down for five seconds to accommodate someone walking across or along, not understanding the arrangement. Why do all of you that ride in the street along this stretch act so entitled?? You’re literally dangerous.
- Foop June 10, 2025 (11:00 pm)
  
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  Because riding 20-23 mph on a shared path is dangerous and entitled to pedestrians. If you can’t stand going 5 under for a quarter mile you shouldn’t have a license. Why are drivers so dangerous and entitled?
- cwit June 11, 2025 (9:23 am)
  
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  Burgeman – Cyclists are allowed to be on the road by law, so they use it – if that’s entitled, than that’s your issue.
  
  Stop trying to make up your own rules.
  
  God forbid you slow down for a few seconds before you have space to pass them. You’re supposed to be taking in the scenic views anyways, right?
  
  It sounds like you’re the one that’s dangerous.
- Jort June 11, 2025 (12:41 pm)
  
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  Cyclists are not acting entitled when using the full lane. Cyclists are actually entitled to use the full road. You may not like this, but it is the law and it is a fact. And if it’s too much for a driver to handle, then it is likely time to hang up the keys or sell the car. We need fewer drivers who think laws don’t apply to them.

So dumb June 10, 2025 (7:24 pm)

So we just created a whole bunch of motorcycle only parking… perfect solution. SDOT is a perfect example of how DOGE became a thing.

walkerws June 11, 2025 (8:40 am)

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DOGE became a thing because a drugged-out billionaire wanted to raid valuable public data. What does that have to do with SDOT?
Jake June 11, 2025 (5:34 pm)

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DOGE is stupid because all it boils down to is how to create a high unemployment rate. And yes agree with WalkerWS, the drugged out oligarch needed attention, and then he blew it 6 months in.

jollyroger June 10, 2025 (9:58 pm)

Stupid!!!‘I voted no from the beginning. This is the same old story, punish those who follow the rules and loose because of a few idiots. I totally understand those people who live in the area but there needs to be a better solution for day time visitors and residents. More officer presence during late ours. People need to approve cameras, tickets given……

True North June 10, 2025 (10:21 pm)

I can only speak as a resident by the changed parking area. For years, for those of us living here have put up with all night parties , music so loud it might as well be in my living room , engine noise that sets off the loud noise alert on my smart watch, inside my home, with doors and windows shut, the smell of burning rubber permeating the air, drug dealing and use, drunkenness , fights, gun fights, people shot and killed, Racers taking over the streets, driving the wrong way in the lanes, people defecating and urinating in my front yard and the park next door. Let all of that sink in before you make comments about rich people, which I m not by any stretch of the imagination, wanting to close the beach to others. What goes on here has nothing to do with anything other than the nightly hell I have described. It is now 10:00, usually by this time the party is in full swing, tonight, there has not been one sound of loud car exhaust, racing engines, loud music, yelling and screaming , there are no broken beer and alcohol bottles on the sidewalk. This has not happened in many years. I’m truly sorry if losing ten parking spaces is upsetting to you, or if you think it’s impossible for people to parallel park here, as they do on the entire beach, but, tonight I am anticipating that for the first time in a long time I might be able to sleep. And, as a bonus, I don’t have to fear my building being broken into, of the possibilities of someone driving by getting their car hit and knocked into the sound, or that someone’s else won’t be shot and killed in a gunfight.

Arch Stanton June 11, 2025 (10:07 pm)

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As someone who lives down the street on Alki Ave by the restaurant strip, I fully agree with you. Now to try to get parking enforcement to ticket people who pull up and party in the police only parking and add more speed bumps. There are many bad actors around after dark, who need to be deterred! This is a family neighborhood, plain and simple.

Seaview parent June 11, 2025 (2:56 am)

Did we consider using the $175K to just fund a full-time Alki community police officer?

I know that would require a number on a spreadsheet to traverse the giant artificial chasm between department budgets, but still.

Human with job, context, and compassion versus painted lines might have been the call here, Rob.

walkerws June 11, 2025 (8:55 am)

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Infrastructure solves more problems than police do.
Kyle June 11, 2025 (11:01 am)

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That would maybe cover one cop full time with benefits for only a year. Plus capital dollars and operating dollars are usually accounted separately given the fact that operating expenses are expected to continue.
- Kathy June 11, 2025 (12:02 pm)
  
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  If you know anything about budgeting, salary and benefits are only part of the cost. Overhead probably runs at least 25%. That includes supervision, administrative support, automation, equipment, facilities, etc, etc, etc.

Cricks June 11, 2025 (12:16 pm)

Great, so now we have less parking that is more dangerous, a bunch of unusable paved space between the path and the road, less access for the public to to enjoy the waterfront, and the city is $175k poorer… Get Saka and his pet projects out ASAP.

Mike Mahanay June 11, 2025 (4:03 pm)

This is another stupid idea! This is a viewpoint! If you have ever taken visitors there, pulled in to eat your lunch, or simply enjoyed the view with a loved one you know what I am talking about. Removing these spaces is not going to stop parties, crazy driving, peel outs, or even shootings. It is only another example of our City Council and SDOT decreasing out quality of life. Yet another nice thing is gone! (Oh, and we can’t go over by the light house now unless we walk-great! ) Thank you Ron Saka for NOT solving yet another problem. How about spending the time and money getting rid of the drugs and shoplifters over at Roxhill Park? That is way worse!!!

Jort June 11, 2025 (7:21 pm)

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Wait, did the viewpoint get taken away? Or just the parking spots? Is it possible to park and walk to the viewpoint? Or do cars actually need to see city, too? Is the viewpoint for humans, or cars?