This announcement has just arrived, with the surprising news that
parts of 21st Ave. E. are destined to become two-way!!!
You may recall that
we all discussed this with the City back in 2013 and 2014, and asked them at the time how 2-way bike traffic on the Greenway would be handled on the 1-way streets. Their answer back then (I asked several times) was that the car traffic on the street would be unaffected.
Now, at this rather late stage, everything has changed. I invite you all to submit comments to the City (and add them as comments to this blog post or
E-mail them to me). I have appended copies of messages that neighbors have already sent to the City. (The plans obvious bring up many questions about narrow streets, parking, school bus traffic, etc).
Please let me know if you would like us, as a neighborhood, to have a meeting with the Greenways officials.
People to contact:
Sandy Lam
Central Area Neighborhood Greenway Construction Communications Officer
206-504-1454
AND/OR try the Director of Department of Transportation:
******************************Greenways Announcement**********************
It’s official! Phase 1 of the
Central Area Neighborhood Greenway is ready for your use. With new curb ramps, bicycle pavement markings, speed humps, signage, rapid flashing beacons, stop signs on cross streets, and an enhanced pedestrian crossing signal at 22
nd Ave E and E Union St, you may now enjoy the benefits of a safer and more comfortable environment for walking and riding bikes along residential streets adjacent to 23
rd Ave between S Jackson St and E John St.
Thank you for your patience during this work, and please note that, over the next several weeks, you may notice crews putting finishing touches on the route.
Implementation of Phases 2 and 3 (at the south and north ends of the greenway, respectively) is expected to begin the week of October 12. Project elements will be similar to those in Phase 1. We recently sent a mailer to residents and businesses along the greenway route with more details. If you did not receive it, you may view the attachment to this email.
Since the selection of the greenway route last summer, additional input and analysis have led to the following refinements:
Phase 2:
· The greenway will run along 25th Ave S (rather than 24th Ave S) between S Grand St and S Massachusetts St.
· The greenway will run along 25th Ave S (rather than 26th Ave S) between S Norman St and S Charles St.
Phase 3:
· The one-way portion of 21st Ave E between E Aloha St and E Roy St will be converted to allow two-way traffic.
· The one-way portion of 21st Ave E between E John St and E Republican St will be converted to allow two-way traffic.
Phases 2 and 3 of the greenway are expected to reach substantial completion by the end of the year.
If you have questions or concerns regarding construction, please feel free to contact me directly.
Thank you again for your continued support and patience, and enjoy your new greenway!
Sincerely,
Sandy Lam
Central Area Neighborhood Greenway Construction Communications Officer
206-504-1454
***********Letter from Holy Names Academy
Holy Names Academy does not agree with the change to alter 21st Ave E between E Aloha and E Roy streets to accommodate two-way traffic. We only learned of the change when we called the City for an update in mid-September on the timing of Phase 3 of the Central Area Neighborhood Greenway. During this conversation, we were surprised to learn that 21st Ave E would now be converted to a two-way street, and we immediately requested a meeting with the City to convey our concerns. We appreciated the City’s responsiveness, and subsequently met with communications officers Maribel Cruz and Sandy Lam, and senior civil engineers Norene Pen and Carol McMahan. At the meeting we expressed our serious concerns about making 21st Ave East a two-street for cars, and we shared with them the neighborhood agreement from 1989 that established the street as one-way. The one-way traffic has been a successful strategy for 26 years, and we believe that a two-way street would not be workable. The current one-way street preserves parking, reduces congestion, and improves the safety and flow of traffic.
At our meeting with the City officials, we recommended that they consider altering the Greenway to utilize the existing one-way streets on 20th Ave E and 21st Ave E so that both bicycles and cars are moving in the same direction. This suggestion was not entertained. Instead, the officials indicated that although the one-way signs will come down on 21st Ave E, the street would remain a de facto one-way street by leaving the signs “Do Not Enter” on the south end of the street. We have concerns that drivers will not see the signs, and we asked that if the City proceeds with this plan, placement and size of the “Do Not Enter” signs be explored.
Holy Names Academy remains concerned with the change of 21st Ave E from a one-way to a two-way street, and furthermore, we do not support any changes that would reduce parking or change the current neighborhood agreement. We welcome a meeting with the neighborhood and City officials to discuss this situation further.
Elizabeth Swift
Head of School
Holy Names Academy
**************Letter from Guillaume, MIller Park Neighbors Chair********
I wanted to weigh in because -- although I understand the concerns -- I am not 100% in agreement with some of the comments that have been voiced on this thread.
But before weighing in with my two cents, I also wanted to point out that there might be some potential compromises. Two thoughts:
(1) Could the school buses be moved to 19th Ave instead of 21st Ave? On 19th the buses would crowd the street less and their exhaust would be farther from nearby residences. As it currently stands, I can often smell their exhaust inside our house when they park across the street. I don't worry so much for myself, but I do worry about how this pollution affects our two young daughters.
(2) Could we institute an RPZ for the neighborhood? This would likely solve many of the parking concerns, and could possibly help make the intersections safer -- currently many of the corners are blind because cars are parked right up to each intersection. This is dangerous for bikes as well as for cars.
---
FWIW, here are my opinions:
First, I am really excited that our street is going to become a greenway -- I think it will be wonderful for our street and for our neighborhood.
Second, one thing that I think is true is that the school buses make it unlikely that our street would be viable (or safe) with two-way traffic. As it stands there is often only just enough room to squeeze by when buses are parked on the west side of the street.
Third, although I think it's true that parking can sometimes be difficult to find in our neighborhood (nothing like other parts of capitol hill, but nonetheless challenging at times), I don't agree that this means we need to sacrifice other progressive transportation reforms at the behest of requests for ample parking. I think we can all agree that some people will always need to get around by car, but that better transportation alternatives might allow the rest of us to be less car reliant.
Cheers,
Guillaume
**********Neighbors' Letters below (and in the
comments section)********
