when Pedestrians start PAYING ATTENTION and learn that a Flashing Red Hand does NOT mean (run like hell across the street), maybe that will make a difference. I’m constantly STUNNED how many peds DO NOT LOOK at the CARS or THEIR traffic signals, as well as the walk/don’t walk signs.
and,yes..I have plenty of Rants against bicyclist that think they’re above traffic laws as well.
I hate to be a party pooper, but given the reality of this situation this just sounds like a lot of whining. As someone who frequently is bus riding pedestrian (using crosswalks marked and not) as well as a bicycle commuter this whole discussion sounds *exactly* like when people complain about bicycles dart around and don’t obey traffic laws and adhere to all traffic laws. Except somehow its from the point of view of the pedestrian/bicycle. Stay with me for a second. 99% of the road using public are car drivers. Anything that is as restriction to people driving is a frustration and a source of aggravation, they don’t care why, all they know is your slowing them down the 15 seconds that might make a difference. Usually the people behind the wheel blame everyone but themselves, and insist on laws to keep peds and bicycles from slowing them down. Read the hate and vitriol that drivers have for bicyclists. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/soundoff/comment.asp?articleID=344924
now remember for a second, that if a ped or a bicyclist makes a mistake they fall down. If a car blows a crosswalk, someone dies.
Sorry to get in you face about it, but if you want people to care that your in a crosswalk, start treating it like its your life. Make a bigger deal about it, cause a scene, call the cops. because right now your just that 1% of people using the road that are easily dismissed. did we all forget that a rabbi on his cellphone hit his SECOND pedestrian in a crosswalk last summer? The gentlemen that was killed was a assistant to the city council. What did the driver get? NOTHING. You think emailing the council is going to do something?
As a frequent pedestrian, I sometimes have a driver stop for me on Fauntleroy, and then get upset that I don’t go. The problem is, I appreciate that they stopped, but usually it’s the other side of the street, and the car on the side I will first cross is racing towards me and I am not sure they will stop, so I cannot safely cross. Meanwhile, the nice person who did stop is pissed off at me because I’m not crossing. I can’t assume that everyone will stop, so I need to be safe. I may have right of way, but that doesn’t mean I should just start walking in front of oncoming traffic!
Then one time they did all stop, I started crossing, and someone decided to drive *around* the stopped traffic (in the parking lane) to blow through the intersection and almost hit me in the crosswalk.
I, and a few neighbors, were in touch with people about putting in a crosswalk or traffic light or at the very least some pedestrian crossing signs, but they gave us the runaround for a very long time and then didn’t get back to us. Then I tried contacting the SW Precinct, telling them what’s been going on here with no one yielding to us, and they emailed back saying that pedestrian safety was very important, and they were going to come out and take a look and start ticketing people who don’t yield. That never happened. I’ve never seen a cop car yet during my morning commute, nor has the situation changed. I don’t know what else I can do to get the rules enforced, other than praying I don’t get hit someday.
The way I understand the law, drivers must stop for pedestrians if they step off the curb in a crosswalk (marked OR unmarked). If the pedestrian is standing up on the curb or sidewalk, drivers can legally drive in front of them.
So I wish more pedestrians understood that if they intend to wait for all the traffic to clear, they would stay up on the sidewalk, back from the curb. Sometimes I see a pedestrian up ahead standing off the curb in the crosswalk, so I come to a stop, only to have them just stand there. Finally, I have to gesture “oh well” with my hands and drive in front of them, risking a ticket.
When I am a pedestrian (and I walk frequently) I make sure I communicate my intentions clearly to motorists.
Here is the site for pedestrian laws:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/walk/Laws.htm
I know I’ve been guilty of not yielding to peds at unmarked intersections on 35th…quite honestly, I’m sure everyone has been guilty of this. Drive down 35th at almost anytime and there is always going to be someone waiting to cross at some intersection…most of the time cars don’t stop. Not exactly the safest street for a car to just stop on. However, it is not always obvious that the ped is there to cross – many times I’ve seen cars stop only to have the ped just stand there.
My big beef are peds that cross against their light or in the middle of the block…I see this issue much more frequently as a driver. As a ped, I’m not often bothered by crossing fauntleroy, California, or 35th…there are always breaks in the cars (even by the ferry dock – I’ve crossed there many times)…no use risking your life attempting to get traffic to stop both ways when you can just wait for a break in traffic.
At either end of Delridge:
•Uptown Espresso at the north end of Delridge has a nice atmosphere, comfortable seating and impressive menu board chalk art. Good coffee too.
•Cafe Rozella at the south end of Delridge has an intimate atmosphere and interesting artwork. Good people watching out in front if the weather’s nice. Events like music nights. Community spot to find out what’s happening in South Delridge and White Center. And of course good coffee too.
Yeah, my several-year peeve is similarly themed: I can’t tolerate people who don’t feel like they need to park their cars in the grocery store lot like everyone else, so they just ‘park’ IN FRONT of the store and leave the car running. This happens at Admiral and Jefferson Square Safeways most often. Often the driver is still in the idling car,and if I’m walking by them, I sarcastically feign altruism and point to a nearby open spot.
The 35th/Avalon SBUX is the worst! I have complained numerous times to the staff and to corporate, and nothing improves, they just sending me free drink coupons. The new SBUX at Jefferson Square is great though- quick, friendly barristas and a fully stocked pastry case. And if you go in the morning you don’t have to deal with the bad parking since no one is there.
My favorite though is the coffee at Thriftway. Great prices, friendly baristas and grocery shopping all in one stop. I order Americano’s, and I’m always impressed there is a beautiful, thick crema on top. As Wes suggested above, if you want to tell the good from the bad or mediocre, just order a shot and drink it straight.
I have firsthand experience!
According to an entomologist I spoke with in Puyallup about five years ago, WS is the northernmost area that has subterranean termites (let’s call them ST’s). They apparently have no interest in any areas east of here. ST’s need food and moisture, so if you have areas of standing water around your house try to fix that. Also remove any wood that may sit close to your house.
In my case, I discovered ST’s when they ate through a bit of caulk at the doorway of my mudroom. Mudroom has a cinderblock foundation (bad!), and the ST’s came up through the holes in the cinderblock and ate most of the mudsill and partway up the vertical supports. A handy friend removed the drywall inside and a few rows of siding outside to effect repairs and we tried to fill in as many cinderblock holes with quikcrete that we could access.
Cascade Pest Control was the only company I found in Seattle that deals with ST’s. He had to dig a shallow trench around the affected area, mix up several gallons of Termidor, and fill the trench with it. Termidor doesn’t repel ST’s, they go through the treated soil, and take it back to the nest where it kills everyone. It continues to work for five years. Next summer will be five years for me so I plan to have Cascade back for another treatment, just to be safe. It’s not cheap – cost around $400 just to treat around the mudroom, would be $1200-$1500 to treat around my 800 square foot house. If I remember correctly, Cascade will guarantee for five years if you treat around the entire structure, in my case I only did the one room so no guarantee.
I could go on for an hour about ST’s. I find them both horrifying ($$$) and fascinating.
If the inspector you used at time of purchase didn’t notice any damage to the mudsill in the crawlspace perhaps this is an early discovery. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
I have to cross 35th each day at an intersection to catch the bus. This means I’m crossing an “unmarked crosswalk.” (FYI all intersections are unmarked crosswalks and drivers are supposed to yield to pedestrians.) I can’t remember the last time a car actually stopped for me, though. Last June or July, probably.
The City took away several crosswalks on 35th because they were unsafe. (??) Then said that in fact, all intersections are crosswalks so there should still be plenty of places to cross safely. Uh-huh, whatev.
I typically practice what I call “defensive crosswalking” when in a crosswalk. That means I wave to the oncoming driver, which tends to help get their attention, and even try to make eye contact, before venturing out.
I think some drivers don’t think they have to stop unless the ped is IN the crosswalk. That’s very untrue. If you are a ped and standing on the curb waiting to step out until it is safe, you absolutely have the right of way, and if the driver gets cited, the ticket is pretty steep.
I think Councilmember Richard Conlin is very tuned into pedestrian issues. If your email to the mayor was ignored (shocking!) I’d try Conlin’s office.
I make every effort to stop for pedestrians since my brother was hit in an unmarked crosswalk a few years ago. Has anyone noticed that it’s nearly impossible to see pedestrians at crosswalks on California when it’s dark and raining though? If there were a pedestrian crossing, I wouldn’t notice until I was 25 yards away which is too close to stop safely. At least I learned in my defensive driving class 15 years ago to pay attention to EVERYTHING on the road, not just cars.
Drivers don’t stop at ANY crosswalks in West Seattle, or downtown. This is a huge pet peeve of mine. I catch the bus at the park and ride below the West Seattle bridge and I always have a difficult time getting drivers to stop. The crosswalk I use was faded away and I called the city and metro. Within DAYS the crosswalk was repainted. However, drivers still do not stop unless I step into the crosswalk and force them to. Sometimes they just swerve around me into the other lane. Last spring my husband bought two buckets, put gravel in them, and made bright orange flags for me to use in that crosswalk. They’re gone now! The flags were taken and somebody dumped out the gravel and took the buckets. I have e.mailed the mayor about how to make our crosswalks safer, but got no response, other than my name was added to his monthly newsletter. His campaign to improve crosswalk safety needs to start with the drivers, not the pedestrians. Pedestrians in a marked, and unmarked, crosswalk at an intersection have the legal right of way, not the driver. What we need is drivers blowing through occupied crosswalks to be ticketed!
Try Charlestown Street Cafe….tasty, made just how you want them
Does anyone have ideas for an affordable, yet reliable mechanic in west seattle?
For those of us that fully understand that UV rays are bad but like to soak up some fake sun before going on vacation pay special attention when signing up for those “specials” at Fastan.
Here’s what happened to me:
Between 8/14/2006 and 12/7/2006 I purchased Tanning sessions from Fastan on Fauntleroy. I went into the store today (12/27/2007)for a session and was told that my credits had expired. Like rubbing salt in an open wound I was then told that if I wanted to sign up for an additional package, I would be credited the expired tans. I remember thinking, “so let me get this straight, I didn’t use all the tans I previously purchased, but if I buy more tans that I probably won’t use, then you’ll do me a favor and give me back what I already paid for.”
I expressed my disappointment in their policy with hope of some good explanation by the sales representative but only got what appeared to be a well rehearsed response of “we tell all of our customers that they expire
While I was in the store, I noticed that none of the advertised specials that were prominently displayed mentioned that the credits would expire after any set period of time. When I inquired as to why there was no written disclaimer, the sales representative told me they verbally tell customers at point of sale and that it is stated in the contract that is signed. I asked to see an example of this contract where it was stated in writing that my tans would expire and wanted to see where I signed acknowledging this, and they could not produce one for me. If I wanted a copy I was then told that I would have to get it from their corporate office. What is most confusing is that some of my tanning credits are set to expire in 1 year while others last two years. At no point in time do I recall this being explained to me, as I would have been reluctant to purchase as many credits as I did. I’m not really into tanning but go before vacation so I don’t burn on the first day when exposed to sun.
In the end I asked for the regional manager and was only given a first name and a phone number which I later learned was their Burien location. When I asked for the managers last name, i was told that she didn’t know it. Seriously, who doesn’t know their boss\managers last name. Anyways, I’m done with Fastan, they may have gotten my unused tanning credits but lost a customer.
Anyone have a good recomendation on where I should go for fake sun?
I had to have one of my water heaters replaced. I called Southwest Plumbing and after getting their quote I decided to check elsewhere. I saw that someone suggested Joe the Plumber so I called him. He was here the next day, replaced the water heater and did it for HALF the quote from SWP. That is even less that what he ball parked on the phone for a rough estimate.
I am so-far quite satisfied with the message boards. I have for some time been looking for a place to communally kvetch about the ridiculously long east/west traffic-light at California and Charleston. Now ‘the Blog’, as it is referred to be my close circle, has given me this opportunity.
Keep up the good work
We know a lot of people in WSB-land won’t notice the new addition till things get serious after the holidays. But for everyone who’s here and participating, we’re awaiting feedback on this new addition – especially forum sections you’d like to see added, as we keep experimenting. Thanks!
Ken’s Lawn Service will do both routine maintenance and specific one-off jobs. I think their recurring service is limited to just cutting the grass; I don’t know if they offer complete landscaping on a routine basis, such as continual gardening. But we’ve used them for annual pruning and clean up and they did a great job.
For larger trees, we’ve also used Davie’s Tree Service. They also did a great job trimming back one of our larger trees so that it continued to thrive after the trimming.
I have opened a message portal for online gamers from West Seattle – free, self-service,
http://wsgames.proboards77.com
… so local players can find each other to form a clan, schedule game play, or just yack about their favorite online game.
By way of introduction, my Steam ID Profile,
http://steamcommunity.com/id/zodwallop
or my adventures in World of Warcraft …
http://libertyrangers.blogspot.com
… see you online.
OK, so it took awhile to go through the register/password/DNA test to get logged into the forum, but it sure is great to be here.
Cruiser, I feel your pain, especially #3. I call it “giving me the hey”. If I let you in, especially in thick traffic and you’re yakking on your cell phone, all I ask is that you give me the hey. A tiny little wave in the rear view mirror, it’s not much. Just an acknowledgment that somebody saw you, realized you needed a break, and gave it to you, whether you deserved it or not. If you give me the hey, all is well in the world, the cosmic karma remains in balance. And we all need that this time of year, right? So a big “hey” to all you out in WSB land.
nekonoir,
We’ve used Mrs. Kim’s alterations (I don’t think that’s the name of the shop, but she goes by Mrs. Kim) a block north of Cafe Ladro and the dog grooming/sitting place FKA The Tail Wag on California. She’s done a good job on everything we’ve taken (my suits and shirts and some stuff from my wife), and I’ve only had one minor issue with an alteration she did on a shirt. I think she’s just alterations and garment repair.
Just did a full Junction walk along California (not to the approval of my dog :) to check restaurant signs and basically everything is either closed or an unknown (meaning they didn’t have anything posted). I haven’t called any of the unknowns, but I’m assuming if they don’t say, they’re closed. Here’s the full list in case anyone has info on the ones w/o posted signs.<br>
- Ama Ama: Unknown
- Tom Young Kum: Closed
- Yummy Teriyaki: Closed
- Elliott Bay Brew Pub: Closed
- Talarico’s: Unknown
- Rocksport: Unknown (Forgot to check)
- Cupcake Royale: Unknown
- Jak’s: Closed
- Matador: Unknown
- Maharaja: Unknown
- Garlic Jim’s: Unknown
- Kamei: Unknown
- Lee’s Asian: Unknown
- Shadowland: Unknown
- Shoefly: Closed
- Pagliacci: Unknown (I turned south after Shoefly and forgot to check)
- Bee’s: Unknown
- Caper’s: Unknown
- Azuma: Unknown
- West 5: Closed (although open on C-Mas Eve)
- Easy Street: Closed
- Great Harvest: Closed
- Poggie’s: OPEN at 5:00 PM, but I don’t think they serve food
- Taqueria Guaymas: Unknown
- Husky Deli: Unknown (although presumed closed b/c they are for other holidays such as Easter)
- Mashiko’s: Unknown
- Puerto Vallarta: Unknown
- Bakery Nouveau: Closed
Sure, it would have been easier to just say “They’re all closed except for Poggie’s,” but you don’t realize how many restaurants we have on one street in a 2-block area until you look at each of them and try to commit them to memory. Looks like we may start a new Christmas tradition this year: Dim Sum in the ID followed by drinks at Poggie’s. :)
Funny, I’d say the Alki Starbucks is by far the best in WS. Admiral is 2nd best, though the staff there can be snarky at times. Worst by far is 35th/Avalon DT, followed closely by the Morgan Junction location. All my opinion, though, of course.
We are on the lookout for this and still haven’t found anything. So far, we can tell you that Pegasus on Alki is closed as are all the takeout joints at Westwood Village, Duke’s, Salty’s, and Charlestown Cafe. Still checking on others …
