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Thanks to William for the photo of a crash scene on the east side of California/Findlay, blocking Findlay. No SFD dispatch so apparently no injuries. No other info about the circumstances but we’re publishing this in case you see the knocked-over hydrant and wonder what happened.

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More city work on SW Trenton by Westwood Village today. This time, it’s speed-cushion installation. We reported last month that SDOT planned to install four sets of speed cushions on Trenton between 25th and 29th, as part of the Safe Routes to School program (with the Chief Sealth International High School/Denny International Middle School campus a block north). Crews are working today, east to west; we happened onto them as they were finishing the easternmost cushions and moving westward.

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Last Thursday, thanks to a reader tip, we reported on a new all-way-stop intersection at 49th/Spokane, near the former Schmitz Park Elementary (current temporary home to Alki Elementary), and promised to follow up with SDOT to find out if anything else is planned in the area. Today we got the reply – three intersections in all:

We’re adding all-way stops and painting all legs of the crosswalks at the following three intersections around Schmitz Park Elementary School:

50th Ave SW & SW Spokane St
49th Ave SW & SW Spokane St
49th Ave SW & SW Hinds St

We went to see if the other two had been installed yet. Short answer, no – 49th/Hinds currently has one crosswalk and east-west stop signs but not north/south; 50th/Spokane, right by the campus, is a “T” intersection that has one crosswalk. No installation date for the rest of the work was provided. This is one of the current Safe Routes to School projects, which have also included new stops and speed cushions by Gatewood Elementary.

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Thanks for the texted tips and photo. SDOT has installed more school-zone traffic calming, this time adding an all-way stop at 49th SW and SW Spokane, near the former Schmitz Park Elementary (currently in its second of three years as temporary home to Alki Elementary). Tipsters thought we’d want to let you know, as this might take some people by surprise. We found it mentioned as a “current project” on the same SDOT webpage where we found a mention of the speed cushions installed last week on California SW near Gatewood Elementary. The mention says simply, “Install all way stops near Schmitz Park – SPS interim site (expected in 2024 or 2025).” We’ll check again with SDOT on any others with imminent installation.

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9:59 AM: Apologies that we were’t able to report this in real time – a flipped-car crash toward the top of the Admiral Way hill [map]; thanks to those who sent photos. The log shows one engine responded just before 8 am – the driver was already out, so no “rescue extrication” response was needed. No medic unit dispatched either, indicating no major injuries; we’re following up with SFD for specifics.

(Reader photo, texted)

11:10 AM: SFD tells us its crews checked out a 3-year-old girl and 28-year-old woman, neither seriously hurt.

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Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is performing construction work at the intersection of 20th Ave SW and SW Roxbury St today (Monday, September 9, 2024) which requires closing a single lane of traffic at a time throughout the day.

Crews are removing crosswalk markings on the eastern side of this intersection where there is no walk signal equipment. We have received community feedback that these markings created a confusing situation because there is no crossing signal equipment on this side of the street to trigger a red light to stop cars when people need to cross the street. People will still be able to cross SW Roxbury St using the crosswalk and walk signal equipment on the western side of this intersection.

And a reminder that by state law, every intersection is a crosswalk, whether painted or not.

3:51 PM: Given that, we asked SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson on followup, why remove the markings? (We also noted they must have been recent, because Google Street View’s most-recent image, dated 2018, doesn’t show a crosswalk on that side.) His reply:

The crosswalk markings on the eastern side of the intersection were painted by mistake by a private contractor working for King County during the construction of the RapidRide H line and does not match our approved designs for this intersection.

SDOT learned of the issue when a community member wrote to us this summer. The eastern crosswalk markings were leading to a confusing situation for people crossing the street. People need to push the crossing signal button on the western side of the street to trigger a red light to stop cars so that they can cross safely. If people wait to cross on the east side of the street, the light does not automatically change for them.

We are looking into whether other options to let people cross on either side of the street may be possible in the future, as we take the immediate step of removing the confusing crosswalk for now.

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Friends, family, and fellow riders gathered at Lincoln Park this morning to remember Steve Hulsman before a ride in his honor. Mr. Hulsman, 66, was killed last December in a collision with a driver in Arbor Heights. He was a longtime volunteer ride leader for Cascade Bicycle Club, which organized this ride as a tribute. Some who gathered were there in commemorative orange T-shirts:

They included Mr. Hulsman’s widow Rita Hulsman, one of the pre-ride speakers, who has advocated tirelessly for safety in the months since his death.

She spoke after Cascade’s Tyler Vasquez and Lee Lambert, the High Performance Cycling team’s David Longdon, and District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka, who talked about the Seattle Transportation Levy on the general-election ballot, which he amended to include a TBA protected bike lane to be named in Mr. Hulsman’s honor.

They’re all in our video:

Before the riders departed, they toasted Mr. Hulsman:

Participating riders had their choice of three routes this morning, 14 miles to 42 miles.

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12:07 PM: Thanks for the tips. SDOT crews are installing West Seattle’s newest speed cushions today – including what are, we believe, the first ones ever built on California Avenue SW (not counting the raised crosswalks in The Junction). Above is the newly installed set on California just south of Myrtle, and below is the outline for a set just north of Myrtle:

SDOT also is installing speed cushions/humps on Myrtle west of California. This is all part of Safe Routes to School traffic calming around Gatewood Elementary – we hadn’t received a specific construction notice but found this mention nested in the “current projects” list on the SRTS website:

Speed humps and all-way stops on SW Myrtle St, SW Frontenac, and California Ave SW near Gatewood Elementary (expected in 2024 or 2025)

The all-way stops on Myrtle were already in. We’re checking with SDOT for more specifics.

12:51 PM: SDOT spokesperson Mariam Ali tells WSB that these weren’t expected to be installed until early next year but the crew managed to accelerate. She sent a map of all the new speed cushions in this round:

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Thanks to Mark for the photo. He and another reader mentioned the surprise appearance of a new crosswalk at 39th/Admiral [map], east of the Admiral Way Bridge seismic-strengthening project, which moved into the top-deck half-closure phase this week. Project spokesperson Dr. Matthew Howard tells us it’s temporary: “It was low-key, a quick flip and safety measure. We added these Rapid Flashing Beacons and a temporary crosswalk to the intersection as we move into the phased closures of the bridge lanes. We wanted to maintain pedestrian access throughout these times so that people could get across safely. Community supported/wanted it, and the team was able to deliver.” But “temporary” means it’ll be removed when the project’s complete; Howard adds, “I’ve broached the topic of a permanent solution, though.”

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RVs have parked along SW Trenton, northwest of Westwood Village, for years. We noted usually one or two earlier this year. But readers have been pointing out a larger number lately – we’ve counted five in recent weeks – and pointing out that some of the associated activity is blocking the sidewalk. With this on the route students travel to and from the center, we’ve been asked if the city plans any action. So we took the question to the mayor’s office, which convenes the multi-department Unified Care Team, in charge of encampment “resolution.” Here’s the reply we reeived from spokesperson Callie Craighead:

The Unified Care Team (UCT) is closely monitoring this site and coordinating with Parking Enforcement teams to address RVs and other lived-in vehicles that are in violation of the City’s 72-hour parking rules along SW Trenton. The UCT prioritizes encampments for resolution based on public safety data, mobility and accessibility impacts, impact on the environment, and proximity to schools and other spaces where children are present.

A resolution date for this site is pending; in the lead-up to site resolution planning, the UCT will continue coordinating with Parking Enforcement teams as well as providing ongoing trash removal and the mitigation of public health and safety hazards such as propane tanks. Residents should continue to report public safety concerns, criminal activity, or other emergency situations by calling 9-1-1 …

For non-emergency situations, other city reps have advised reporting encampments via Find It Fix It.

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Street changes usually are announced with notices to nearby homes and businesses, but those don’t reach the many other people who also will be affected as they travel through or visit the area, and such is the case for the new features at 39th/Oregon, shown above. Susan emailed us Wednesday after being caught by surprise by the new paint-and-post curb bulbs. We checked in with SDOT, whose spokesperson Ethan Bergerson explained it’s part of ongoing work to “daylight” intersections:

The recently completed project painted new crosswalk markings on the eastern side of the SW Oregon St & 39th Ave SW intersection. It also included new signage indicating that this is a legal crossing, and painted curb bulbs to make it clearer to drivers where parking is not allowed near the intersection. This is called “intersection daylighting” and helps enhance safety by preventing cars from parking illegally in a way that blocks other drivers’ view of oncoming traffic and people crossing the street.

(Here’s the notice nearby homes and businesses received.) Our archives show that community members were seeking safety improvements for this intersection at least as far back as 2016.

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DENNY’S NEW CROSSWALK: SDOT’s announcement mentioned a community-designed decorative crosswalk by the entrance of Denny International Middle School. With a traffic circle right at the entrance, readers wondered, where will the new crosswalk go? The image above answers that question – across SW Kenyon on the west side of the intersection; the east side already has a conventionally painted crosswalk.

TRENTON’S NEW SPEED CUSHIONS: We asked SDOT how many speed cushions are planned for SW Trenton. We’re told they plan four sets, between 25th and 29th.

We asked one more question … is there a date for construction to start? SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson says, “We’re still working to schedule construction sometime later this year.”

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