Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Dear Delridge Driver(s),
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September 13, 2012 at 11:31 pm #604859
StringCheeseParticipantAn open letter to the individuals who feel that school zones do not apply to them:
Believe it or not, I do not particularly enjoy drawing attention to myself by waving neon posters while standing on a thorny patch of concrete in the middle of the street. However, since you either did not see the School Zone sign or choose to believe that the small people pouring out of the Boren building are not children (which would put the School Zone speed limit into effect), but rather extremely short adults that just really love Disney princesses and Ninjago backpacks, I felt the need to remind you that the speed limit on a street directly in front of a school at start and dismissal time is 20mph.
No, random driver, despite your crazed insistence through your car windshield as you zoomed past, it is NOT 25. It is 20.
Guy who looked directly at me and shook your head “no” as you drove past at what could easily have been over 35mph, perhaps I misinterpreted your snarky look and shaking head. Perhaps you weren’t being defiant of law and common decency. Perhaps you were shaking your head “no” at the audacity of the other drivers who were not paying attention and attempting to show them, by example, how foolish they looked driving too fast outside an elementary school.
Congratulations to all of the ultra-focused drivers out there! You are so focused on not hitting what is in front of you that you not only didn’t acknowledge the city School Zone signs, you couldn’t even spare the neck muscle exertion to even glance at us lesser beings as you barreled past. Your focus is so intensely straight-forward that you can’t even look at your speedometer! That is dedication!
Despite all of your efforts to pretend the School Zone signs don’t exist, that the people waving neon posterboard on the side of the road are whack-jobs, I’m going to have the audacity to show up again tomorrow. Maybe I can get my friends in blue to join me…
Sincerely,
K-5 STEM at Boren Parent
P.S. You might want to get some extra sleep tonight because there are a lot of amazing people out there that DO slow down in our School Zone and they might force you to add on about 30 seconds to your commute. Fair warning.
September 13, 2012 at 11:38 pm #771111
WSratsinacageMemberPeople drive like $#!^ in WS !!! I’m surprised there aren’t more accidents. It’s almost as if the drivers are pre-programmed with a virus.
September 13, 2012 at 11:40 pm #771112
SmytheMemberYou may want to change this post to gripe about not enough parking or people on bikes or something along those lines. The operators of this site tend to delete anything on the subject that doesn’t suggest that drivers are beyond reproach.
September 13, 2012 at 11:44 pm #771113
StringCheeseParticipant@3, I disagree.
September 14, 2012 at 12:29 am #771114
JanSParticipantSmythe…I’ve never seen the editors of this forum do that. They will remove posts that get personal, that are obnoxious, are obscene, ..but they don;t editorialize in the forums just because they can. They’re way too busy for that. You must have had a post removed, I’m thinking…no?
September 14, 2012 at 12:49 am #771115
WSBKeymaster(Edited myself for rulebreaking comment)
September 14, 2012 at 1:41 am #771116
miwsParticipantStringCheese, I realize this is actually a serious situation, but I love how you wrote it up!
Pedestrian safety is very important to me, and it’s tough enough out there as a very attentive, and defense adult pedestrian. I often get very worried about our youngest, and oldest, pedestrians….
Mike
September 14, 2012 at 3:19 am #771117
StringCheeseParticipantThanks Mike!
For an extra special treat, you should drive past Boren during school hours and drive 20mph. I never fail to get a huge kick out of seeing the line of impatient drivers lining up behind me…
September 14, 2012 at 3:37 am #771118
miwsParticipantWell, I don’t have a car, but if I did, I just might do that!
But, I was thinking it might be kinda fun, if the sign waving ends up going on for some time, to join you some day.
Only problem is, I have problems with standing in one place for long amounts of time.
Mike
September 14, 2012 at 3:49 am #771119
IrukandjiParticipantAlong this line, I’m surprised at how SHORT the School Zone is on California Ave. south of Admiral Way. Though geared toward the elementary students, the Zone stops well before the high school area where there is far higher risky behavior. I’ve seen so many teens doing normalish teen stoopid stuff nearly get hit darting across on a red or mid-block, on foot and on board. That whole stretch needs to be a child-zone.
September 14, 2012 at 5:17 am #771120
kayoParticipantHa! Stringcheese, I will totally stymie some drivers next time I drive by during drop off or pick up hours in your honor. Looking forward to it. People drive like maniacs and especially in that particular stretch of Delridge where there are no traffic lights.. People need to slow down and chill out. You will get to work. Take a deep breath. It will be ok.
September 14, 2012 at 2:33 pm #771121
B-squaredParticipantWow, StringCheese, i must have seen you yesterday when i went past Boren. I was floored that people were actually out there with neon signs trying to get drivers to slow down. I am not typically there at that time so am unaccustomed to the whole school-letting-out thing. As it is a busy street, is there no flashing light speed limit sign there like near other schools? i know they have them in bellevue and i also know the tickets they give out for speeding in those areas are hefty!! perhaps an occasional well-placed squad car and a few people pulled over getting tickets would raise some awareness.
September 14, 2012 at 2:48 pm #771122
BonnieParticipantYesterday I was driving down 35th toward AH where it is just a 1 lane road going each way and was going the speed limit (30). Some bozo decided I was going too slow so sped up and went around me. I loved it when he got slowed down again by the next car in front of me going the speed limit.
September 14, 2012 at 5:34 pm #771123
StringCheeseParticipantB-squared,
We are on the list for the next round of flashing beacons. Unfortunately, that will not be until April 2013. There ARE School Zone signs but no one seems to take note of them.
Our neon sign campaign is working to a point. We still get many people that continue to barrel on by. One mom was even given the finger this morning…
Where are our friends in blue?
September 14, 2012 at 6:01 pm #771124
B-squaredParticipantJust up the street! I say, get some of the patrol cars just come by for a few minutes in the am and pm. just give one or two tickets – can’t be that hard or take that long. Seems like that would send an obvious message. Glad to hear flashing beacons are on the way!!
September 14, 2012 at 9:19 pm #771125
bsmommaParticipantI totally appreciate you guys doing this!!!! I would love to see some “speed traps” set up! Hopefully the people that are driving the normal non school limit will adjust to the fact that there is actually a live school in session. And I read that it’s super expensive and lengthy in time to get flasy lights and a crosswalk. That’s a shame. Seems with all the other temp schools that used the building that would have been in place.
September 14, 2012 at 9:27 pm #771126
wsmama3ParticipantPeople – slow down. We are trying to keep them safe but kids can be impulsive little runners. There are special needs kids at this school, 5 year olds – they are little! Please, PLEASE slow down.
September 14, 2012 at 9:43 pm #771127
amaliaParticipantWhy aren’t drivers terrified of hitting kids? I am when I’m in my car. They are unpredictable, even to their parents. Kind of like squirrels.
Slow down. If you hit a kid (or other human), you’re going to have to live with that forever. Get up 2 minutes earlier if you’re that late every morning!
September 14, 2012 at 10:42 pm #771128
GenHillOneParticipantHey, StringCheese – what ARE the start and dismiss times for Boren? That might help (drivers who are willing to comply) with the “when children are present” issue. I’m befuddled around Roxhill so far this year, because the lights aren’t flashing when I expect them to be (they might be one of the staggered schedules). And I agree with Irukandji. I was surprised to see that there wasn’t a School Zone around Boren when Sealth moved there – teens are notorious dodgers!
September 14, 2012 at 11:43 pm #771129
KDubMemberFrom another K-5 STEM parent:
Thank you so much for being out there in the mornings and afternoons!!
And, our school starts at 9:25am and gets out at 3:35pm
And thank you to the drivers that do notice!
September 15, 2012 at 3:37 am #771130
DelridgeResidentMemberI work in Federal Way and one of the schools got a camera towards the end of last year. You would not believe the flashes that occurred shortly after it was installed! But now the driving is much slower.
I am glad to know the times, I drive by in the morning around 7:30 and have been keeping my eyes out for the kids, although I haven’t seen any.
September 15, 2012 at 4:37 pm #771131
vsMemberI had very much the same experience walking my young kids to school through the school zone on 16th SW–people sped right through, frequently not even stopping for pedestrians at the crosswalk. I contacted SDOT in the hopes that they would do some arterial traffic calming (http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/ntcp_arterial.htm), and the only thing that did come of it was increased policing. The police can also be notified directly: “Residents are always welcome to call SPD directly at 206-625-5011 to request additional enforcement.” –if nothing else it provides a little more motivation for drivers to slow down and you can enjoy a slight feeling of satisfaction that people will occasionally get punished for selfishly endangering your children.
September 15, 2012 at 5:25 pm #771132
wsmama3ParticipantWe’ve called SPD – they said they are aware of the problem and that they have had calls from every school in WS.
SPD said they are trying to get traffic enforcement to school areas more often, but that with “funding issues” it’s difficult.
We hope since Boren is a new site for young kids, on Delridge, and we don’t have flashing lights we can have some some support from SPD.
September 17, 2012 at 11:10 pm #771133
StringCheeseParticipantOK, really? Yelling “Bite Me” at the parent doing you the kindness of reminding you of the law?
Where is our police support!!!????
September 17, 2012 at 11:32 pm #771134
queseraMemberThanks for being out there! That building was vacant for so long that I think people aren’t expecting kids, and many people without children forget that school is starting. That’s not an excuse for not paying attention, but any extra focus on the school zone is a good idea.
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