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.
(Link to all the blog Greenway posts)
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.
Andrew Taylor, andrew_taylor@me.com
People to contact:
Sandy Lam
Central Area Neighborhood Greenway Construction Communications Officer
206-504-1454
Contact Maribel Cruz at Maribel.cruz@seattle.gov or (206) 684-7963.
AND/OR try the Director of Department of Transportation:
| Kubly, Scott scott.kubly@seattle.gov (and please send me a copy: andrew_taylor@me.com |
******************************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 22nd 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 23rd 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 would like more information about the project, please visit our project webpage at http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/centralgreenway.htm.
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.**********Neighbors' Letters below (and in the comments section)********
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
I have cc’d Vincent Gonzales, the school district’s project manager for Meany’s renovation. Tami and I have both been neighborhood participants on the planning of this school’s remodel and there have been many conversations about mitigations to the neighborhood impacted by the increased population. Two way traffic is not a consideration. Adding 21st as a designated “greenway” for bikes we agree with but not when you add in another lane of cars. It’s a deadly mix. There will never be enough flaggers.
As Tami said, you will be hearing from us.
Debrah Walker
Resident, cyclist, Architect, former Urban Planner in Oregon, (worked on both Urban Growth boundaries, and the Willamette River Greenway. . . an actual greenway)
On Oct 5, 2015, at 12:49 PM, Tamara Broadhead <tbroadhead@comcast.net> wrote:
Sandy,
There is not enough room for cars to pass safely along this street, especially when buses are parked on the West side. Now you’re going to put bicycles in the mix.
We have had extensive discussion with the School District and SDOT about traffic for the new Meany MS, but we were not consulted about this.
You will be hearing more from us.
Tamara
On Oct 5, 2015, at 12:35 PM, Sandy Lam <Sandy@stephersonassociates.com> wrote:
Hi Dan/Tamara,
The section of greenway on 21st Avenue between E John Street and E Republican will be two way for both cars and bikes is in front of Meany Middle School. Currently there the Seattle World School is in session there and we are working with the principal to inform parents and students of the upcoming change. They will only be affected by this change for a few months as this is the last school year they will be in session. We are working with the project manager for the new Meany Middle School and they are currently developing traffic control plans to incorporate this traffic change. They plan to reduce the number of buses arriving at the school and are looking into having flaggers to guide two way traffic. Our hope is that with enough communication and coordination with the school district, parents and students will be able to navigate the area. Since parking is restricted on one side of the street, there will be enough room for vehicles to pass one another.
At the section of greenway on 21st Avenue between E Aloha Street and E Roy Street, the street will continue to operate as a one way for vehicles since the Do Not Enter sign at E Roy will remain in place and there will be no northbound traffic, but bikes will be able to travel two way. Thank you.
Sandy Lam
-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Baldner [mailto:dbaldner@comcast.net]
Sent: Monday, October 05, 2015 12:00 PM
To: Sandy Lam <Sandy@stephersonassociates.com>
Cc: maribel.cruz@seattle.gov; 'Debrah Walker' <Dlwalkerarch@aol.com>; 'Tamara Broadhead' <tbroadhead@comcast.net>
Subject: RE: Greenways -- 21st Ave E changed to 2-way
And be aware, 21st Avenue East between Republican and John is a narrow street to begin with. Many residences across the street from the school have no off street parking. Students are picked up and dropped off by parents and school busses further adding to congestion. AND THE RESIDENTS WERE NOT CONSULTED on this change!
Dan Baldner, resident
-----Original Message-----
From: Tamara Broadhead [mailto:tbroadhead@comcast.net]
Sent: Monday, October 05, 2015 11:47 AM
To: Sandy Lam
Cc: maribel.cruz@seattle.gov; Debrah Walker; Dan Baldner
Subject: Re: Greenways -- 21st Ave E changed to 2-way
I am surprised the schools agreed to changing the street to 2-ways. How will your mitigate the congestion once the new Meany Middle School opens?
On Oct 5, 2015, at 11:42 AM, Sandy Lam <Sandy@stephersonassociates.com>
wrote:
Hi Tamara,
We've been working closely with Holy Names over the last couple of
years
and they have agreed to the changes as well as the Seattle School District.
We're working with them to make sure all of the school traffic is aware of the upcoming changes. Thank you!
- Sandy
-----Original Message-----
From: Tamara Broadhead [mailto:tbroadhead@comcast.net]
Sent: Monday, October 05, 2015 11:38 AM
To: Sandy Lam <Sandy@stephersonassociates.com>
Cc: maribel.cruz@seattle.gov; Debrah Walker <Dlwalkerarch@aol.com>;
Dan
Baldner <dbaldner@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: Greenways -- 21st Ave E changed to 2-way
Has the School District and Holy Names Academy signed off on this plan?
On Oct 5, 2015, at 11:14 AM, Sandy Lam
<Sandy@stephersonassociates.com>
wrote:
Hi Tamara,
21st Avenue E between E Republican Street and E John Street will be
converted to allow two way traffic for both cars and bicycles. The do not enter sign and curb bulb will remain at E John Street so northbound vehicles will be prohibited, however it will be possible for cars to enter 21st Avenue E northbound from E Thomas Street. We recently sent a mailer regarding these changes with more project information, which you can also find attached to this email. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns. Thank you!
Sandy Lam
Central Area Neighborhood Greenway Communications
-----Original Message-----
From: Tamara Broadhead [mailto:tbroadhead@comcast.net]
Sent: Monday, October 05, 2015 10:41 AM
To: Cruz, Maribel
Cc: Dan Baldner; Debrah Walker
Subject: Greenways -- 21st Ave E changed to 2-way
Hello Maribel,
Is the plan to change 21st Ave E north of Denny to a 2-way street
just
for bikes?
Tamara
310 21st Ave. E, Seattle, WA98112
206.226.8420
<2015_0929_Phase 2 and 3 Implementation Mailer_Final.pdf>
From a neighbor:
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew
I'm having trouble signing in on to the miller park blog.
I live on 21st across from HNA. I have showed up at all the various forums in this. I also got the neighbors and folks from HNA engaged.
Honestly I finally gave up as it was clear the city was going through the motions of getting public input. This greenway on 21st is an unsafe idea, especially when 2 blocks over is another one on 19th. I've seen first hand how traffic works (or doesn't) on this stretch of 21st. Mixing teenage drivers, school buses etc with bikes on this busy street is dangerous. Someone is going to get hurt and I've repeatedly told the city that. They don't care.
But, my opinions on this are largely irrelevant now. I did contact Sandy Lamb for clarification about how traffic will now work on 21st. She also said parking will remain as is on both the east and west side of 21st. Scary to think how's this is going to work???
Her response to me is below:
"Yes the portion on 21st Avenue between E Roy Street and E Aloha Street will be made a two way to allow bikes and cars. However, the do not enter sign will remain at E Roy Street and since there are no driveways along this portion, the street will operationally remain a one-way southbound. The change in signage allows people on bikes to travel the roadway in both directions. Please let me now if you have any further questions. Thank you!"
Good afternoon,
ReplyDeleteI work from home on 21st between Thomas and John and the amount of traffic between the busses and student/athelete drop-offs is substantial and continuous thorughout the day. Bicyclists are already riding northbound on this street and in my opinion, if we're trying to keep the bicyclists safe, this should be a local access only street. Parents with small children are riding through on a regular basis, which is great - let's reduce traffic further, not increase it by converting the street into a two way thoroughfare. There is definitely not room for two lanes of traffic and bicycles, there is barely room for the busses. I'm finding it implausible that SDOT is working with good data. Traffic needs to stay on 23rd and 19th, otherwise we are endangering the kids and current residents - not to mention worsening an already over-crowded parking situation. Adding cars is hardly a greenway centered solution.
*****************
I strongly agree with Shannon and the thoughts of my other neighbors.
This plan will essentially route high speed traffic looking for an alternative to a very congested arterial (23rd Ave E) through a heretofore peaceful residential street. And this beautiful street is the one we all call home.
I attended an early "neighborhood meeting" where this plan was presented. No one liked it then either. It has been presented as a forgone conclusion since day one.
Regards,
Homeowner on 21st Ave E
**************************
I would like to also go on record as saying that the ideas put into place for developing 21st Ave East, along with the two way traffic, most certainly do not feel carefully considered and planned. It is clear that the ideas and decisions for this were put in place way before all of the neighborhood meetings, which many of us attended, even took place. Neighbors made very clear their valid concerns and objections, which have not been included or taken into consideration at all. I know a lot of us were certainly open to the idea of a Greenway, we just wanted it to be done in a safe and thoughtful manner, and to be respectful of existing neighbors.
Does everyone know that the people who did the traffic survey did so on a vacation week, when school was closed and therefore, traffic was greatly reduced? (Which was one thing that made this the “ideal street” - the low traffic. HA!)
In addition, for anyone to state that Holy Names is fine and has agreed to this is hard to believe. I have listened to and spoken directly to these women at every meeting and they have been some of the most vocal opponents of this plan, understandably concerned about the safety of the kids, as well as how the traffic is going to impact the neighborhood.
Bottom line, this plan is ill-conceived and unfair (as well as unsafe) to the residents of this neighborhood, and ultimately, to the very people they are trying to serve. While we welcome a greenway, and agree it would contribute to our city, 21st Ave East is a very poor choice.
Who will be held responsible for not only the financial impact, but for the safety issues here, as well?
DOT: Do the right thing. Go back to the drawing board, listen to the people whose neighborhood you are impacting and choose another street.
Best,
21st Ave East
Hi Sandy
ReplyDeleteI live on that portion of 21st. The do not enter sign does not really work well. There are cars on a daily basis that do not see that sign and head north down that one way portion of the street.
I really do think this location for this greenway is awful. To mix buses, clueless/distracted teenage drivers, people opening car doors without looking around, drivers not familiar with the neighborhood (others who don't attend HNA who show up for weddings, sporting events etc) is a recipe for disaster. I've shown up at all the various meetings to say this but frankly it doesn't appear that public input mattered much during the decision process.
I'm all for greenways and I know they have worked well elsewhere but bottom line is this stretch of 21st is not a good choice. I don't know when it will occur but someone is going to get hurt badly on this stretch of the greenway.
I appreciate you reading this. I know the city looked at the traffic flow on this stretch of 21st Ave E at very low usage times. My conscience is now clear that I have tried everything I could to make sure the city understands that putting this greenway on this stretch of 21st (especially when there is another 2 blocks over on 19th) is a bad idea.
Thanks.
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 5, 2015, at 10:15 AM, Sandy Lam wrote:
Hi Regina,
Yes the portion on 21st Avenue between E Roy Street and E Aloha Street will be made a two way to allow bikes and cars. However, the do not enter sign will remain at E Roy Street and since there are no driveways along this portion, the street will operationally remain a one-way southbound. The change in signage allows people on bikes to travel the roadway in both directions. Please let me now if you have any further questions. Thank you!
Sandy Lam
From: Regina Hall [mailto:regina.m.hall@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, October 05, 2015 10:05 AM
To: Sandy Lam
Subject: Re: Central Area Neighborhood Greenway Phase I now complete - Phases 2 & 3 Begin This Month
Hi:
Hi;
n Phase 3, do you mean that the portion of 21st between Aloha and Roy streets will be made 2 way for bikes only along the greenway or for bikes and cars on the entire street?
I too am a cyclist. I welcome the work the city is doing for cyclists and alternate modes of transportation. Having cyclists ride through quiet neighborhood streets is wonderful, and having a few streets made especially safe/good for cyclists could be nice as well.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, 21st Ave E is a quiet street enjoyed by bicyclists, including me. It is not an easy street for cars. It has two one way segments that oppose each other, making it impossible to travel down the road by car in either direction!
Removing the one way segments will make 21st Ave. E a major, albeit narrow, thoroughfare. Greenway or no greenway, this will become a less friendly street for bicycles and for pedestrians.
In normal times, this might not have been the case. But 23rd is soon to become a nightmare (because of poor SDOT planning, mind you), and cars will attempt to save time by using residential streets.
SDOT is attempting to solve traffic flow issues by using residential streets for high volume traffic. I don’t support this in general (it will degrade many beautiful Seattle neighborhoods). I certainly don’t support it on 21st Ave E.
Best,
Felix
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.
ReplyDeleteAt 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
I am very opposed to changing 21 Ave E to two-way. I live directly across from Miller play field, and there are trainings and games going on from about 4 - 10 pm on weekdays, with cars waiting to pick up players on the No Parking side. People do this as well during school hours for quick errands into the school when all parking spaces are occupied. Families on this block alone have a total of 6 children infant to early elementary age. Many parents walk this street bringing infants and toddlers to the play ground. Seniors from Aegis Assisted Living, often with aides, take walks on these streets. School kids walk in loose groups absorbed in their conversations. My point is, having the limitation of one-way traffic keeps the traffic volume and impact as compatible with a high pedestrian/child zone as can be.
ReplyDeleteI am lucky to have a driveway, but backing out is already perilous when there is a big SUV or van parked right at the outer edge of my driveway, blocking any view of oncoming traffic. A backup camera and signal don't help in that situation. Trucks of workers on nearby construction sites are sometimes parked the whole day. As others have attested, drivers trying to bypass 23d Ave backups are generally speeding. Making 21st 2-way could also mean drivers try to bypass backups at 23 and E John by darting north on 21st. My route home is from E Thomas and south on 21st. That intersection is already perilous, with cars parked to the end of the block, making it really impossible to see if a bike or random car is coming north on 21st. UPS, FedEx and other delivery trucks already park in the middle of the street, with no other option. Three rounds of SPU truck collection weekly also takes up the whole street. What is patently obvious to everyone but our city's planners is that there is no room for cars to pass each other on these streets at anything but parking lot speed. If drivers were entering 21st from E John, they'd be looking for parking for either the play field or the school. That would mean they'd have to turn around, and further impede traffic. Add rain and night driving conditions to all this, and I would hope city planners could see they are setting up a deadly mix with a 2-way plan. The only modifications really needed are speed bumps resident parking zones.
Elaine Nonneman
An extremely poor idea to have such a mess as this on 21st east. As a decades long resident on the 900 block of 21st, I hate to think of the possible disasters...
ReplyDelete