BETWEEN THE LINES: New ‘parking lane lines’ planned for 26th SW

| Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

Thanks to Rick for the tip. Residents along 26th SW between SW Barton and SW Roxbury, just south of Westwood Village, recently got notification of a “traffic-calming” feature SDOT plans to install: Parking-lane lines. The map above, from the official notice that we requested and obtained from SDOT, shows where they’ll be painted. The notice explains:

On 26th Ave SW between SW Barton St and SW Roxbury St, we will install parking lane lines. These changes to the street will slow traffic and make the street safer for people walking, rolling, and biking.

We are planning to begin to install these improvements before the end of the year. We anticipate this work to be completed over a couple of weekends. Please note this work is weather dependent and subject to change.

The funding for this, SDOT says, is coming from not the current Seattle Transportation Levy, but its predecessor, Move Seattle.

Uhm October 16, 2025 (1:47 pm)

I worry for the buses that turn right onto 26th from Roxbury. They always scrape close to the sidewalk because of the limited space, and it’s claustrophobic in the center lanes as-is. I don’t know how well anyone could park with such traffic either.

1994 October 16, 2025 (8:25 pm)

The buses act as traffic calming because driver’s get stuck behind them. Or maybe the opposite happens with drivers getting irritated at being stuck behind the bus….especially at the north bound corner on 26th at Barton with the bus stop at the corner impeding northbound traffic even on the green light. Maybe the bus stop should have been placed around the corner on east bound Barton?

Al King October 16, 2025 (2:02 pm)

SDOT say’s simply painting lines in the road will slow traffic and make safe roads. Who knew it’d be so easy. Glad we’ve got top notch people working there.

WSB October 16, 2025 (2:30 pm)

It’s actually a federal guideline – follow the link in the story.
- Tryinghard October 16, 2025 (5:17 pm)
  
  Through find it fix it app I have been asking for striping for parked cars on 35th starting at SW Rose and moving north toward SW Raymond. Cars park on the planting strip to try to prevent getting side swiped. The striping was recently repainted where it is present but they did not add any traveling north from Rose on 35th. Maybe someone else can try to requested it as it is needed for parked cars.

Brig October 16, 2025 (2:37 pm)

I know it’s a different jurisdiction, but traffic calming is badly needed on 26th south of Roxbury too. People drive crazy

Juanita October 17, 2025 (8:58 am)

I live on SW Trenton, parking lane widening is happening here also. We have experienced a lot of accidents on the stretch of road btwn 32 and 34th. Lots of side swipes and rear ends. Part of the problem is the topography, it is difficult to see beyond the hill as you approach 32. Another part is that people just go way too fast on SW Trenton. There was just an accident this week where someone was making a turn from 34th onto SW Trenton and they were struck passenger side by a pick up. Widening the lanes doesn’t address the core roots of why we have so many accidents on a two block stretch of road. We need stop signs and a traffic cam so that people can be ticked for speeding. Widening the parking lanes will not only encourage people to try to pass (as they do now since none of us park on that stretch due to all the accidents), but it will provide a wider space for RVs to park in. If there was a point in time wherein the residents of SW Trenton were solicited for feedback on how to address this issue, I am unaware of it. They’ve installed more speed bumps further down the hill, hopefully a few more will be installed as people are still gunning it once they pass those obstacles.

Sorry, comment time is over.