This Saturday, Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) paving crews will be working at 17th Avenue South and South Forest Street, near the Beacon Hill Library. Traffic in both directions on 17th will take turns sharing one lane with the assistance of traffic flaggers. Anticipated work hours for the project are 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Update, 6/25: SDOT tells us the reason for the paving work is to prepare for pedestrian activated crosswalk lights that will be installed in the crosswalk later this summer. The lights will flash when a pedestrian activates the lights prior to crossing the street. Funding for the project comes from the Neighborhood Project Fund and the Bridging the Gap transportation initiative approved by Seattle voters.
Since the light rail station opened last summer, the crosswalk at Beacon and Lander has become the busiest on Beacon Hill. The majority of the people exiting the station are headed west to go to the bank, Red Apple, the southbound bus stop, or home. All of these people must cross Beacon, and many get very creative in the process. Because the crossing is way out at the corner and runs diagonally to the corner away from Red Apple and the bus stop, many people choose to just cross through the middle of the street. Because the crosswalk—which now has flashing beacons and signage, but once only had markings on the pavement—is at the intersection with Lander, there is not only north-south traffic moving through but also people turning onto Beacon from Lander. With the long crossing, the multitude of car approaches, and the scurrying light rail riders, it is ripe for an accident.
The other day I camped out at the crosswalk from 5:00-6:00 pm and filmed about 16 pedestrian crossings when cars were around. I put them together and, with very little editing, made this video:
This was not a “best of” video, but simply what you see at every rush hour here. After bemoaning the miserable state of our most popular Beacon crossing, I started to think about how the pedestrian infrastructure at all the other light rail stations in Seattle seemed satisfactory and even exemplary. Yesterday I decided to take a ride on the light rail and check out each station and then do a little compare and contrast with what we have been dealt. The results from this foray are here:
Apparently Sound Transit is only responsible for putting things back the way they found them, and Seattle’s Complete Streets Ordinance—which requires attention to pedestrian safety among other things—does not apply to them when they do their repave this summer. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has been working with Beacon BIKES! to improve this crossing, but they have limited funds. I am suggesting that Sound Transit work with us and SDOT to improve this crossing as part of the repave this summer. If you want to get involved please email me at dsahearn@gmail.com, and attend the next Beacon BIKES! meeting on Monday, June 21, at 6:00 pm at the Beacon Hill Library, 2821 Beacon Avenue South.
Be Safe!
(This is Dylan’s first post for the Beacon Hill Blog. Thanks, Dylan! — Editor.)
L to R: City Council members Richard Conlin and Mike O'Brien. Photos courtesy of Seattle City Council.City Council members Mike O’Brien and Richard Conlin will visit our neighborhood for a Walking Tour of North Beacon Hill on Thursday, June 3. Anyone interested is welcome to participate. Here’s the schedule:
4:30-5:30pm Walking Tour: meet at Beacon Hill Station (Beacon Avenue South and South Lander Street) at 4:30pm. The walk will go south on Beacon Avenue to Jefferson Park and back. The Council members will stop in for brief visits with business owners and residents along the way.
Mayor Mike McGinn will be on Beacon Hill this coming Tuesday, May 11, at 2:00 pm for the announcement of the “Walk Bike Ride” Initiative supporting improved pedestrian, bicycle, and transit facilities and services “to make walking, biking, and riding transit the easiest ways to get around in Seattle.”
The Bartell Drug Store at Rainier Avenue South and South College Street has applied for a new “Grocery Store – Beer/Wine” liquor license. If you wish to comment on the application, you can email your comments about license number 406481 to customerservice@liq.wa.gov.
Maple Elementary School is working on a mural project. Students, parents, and community members of all races will work together to create a mural for the school gym exterior that reflects the significance of The Maple Creed: “I know that our country was built by people of all races and I know that people of all races keep our country great.”
Community tile creation and tile glazing sessions will be held on the following Mondays from 3:30 – 8:30 pm: May 3, 10, 17, 24; June 7, 14. There will also be sessions on the following Saturdays from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm: May 1, 22.
RSVPs are requested. To find out more about the project and RSVP, contact Terry Virdell at 206-898-5679, or email terryvirdell@gmail.com.
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L to R: Representatives Bob Hasegawa and Zack Hudgins.Local state Representatives Zack Hudgins and Bob Hasegawa invite residents of the 11th Legislative District to join them for a telephone town hall tonight, April 27, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Hudgins and Hasegawa will discuss the 2010 legislative session, creating jobs, their priorities for the 2010 state budget, and the budget’s impact on local communities. Residents will be invited to stay on the line and join in on the conversation. You can also phone in directly between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. by dialing (toll-free) 877-229-8493, code 15512.
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Last week, Cienna Madrid at the Stranger wrote about the new Streets for All Seattle Coalition, a group fighting to fund projects for bicycle, transit, and pedestrian improvements. In the article, SASC spokesman David Hiller specifically discusses how a transportation crisis in South Seattle has drawn organizations such as El Centro de la Raza into the coalition.
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Gardeners take note — @VictrolaCoffee posted on Twitter: “Free bags of coffee grounds everyday at Victrola Beacon Hill – 3215 Beacon Ave So. – make your gardens grow!”
Asian Express, Dim Sum House, and Jefferson Community Center all received recent inspection visits from the Health Department. (Click each establishment’s name to see the results.) Congratulations to Jefferson Community Center for a perfect score of zero!
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The Seattle City Council and Mayor will host a joint public meeting about the City’s budget here on Beacon Hill at the New Holly Gathering Hall, tomorrow, April 28, at 5:00 pm. The New Holly Gathering Hall is located at 7054 32nd Avenue South.
[Last Wednesday] our rental house was broken into. It’s across from the viewpoint at 2910 12th Ave. So. Our renter was at home at the time and the intruder broke in the front door and came in with a knife. He boldly sat on the couch until our renter pointed a gun and called police. The intruder is one that we new as a little boy who lived down the street. He’s a druggie and usually not dangerous… Our son who is a policeman said he’s arrested him several times, but he seems to always get back out on the street. He needs some serious rehab.
Margaret Adell George’s mother was found living in deplorable conditions in her Beacon Hill home in December 2008. Seattle police detectives said the immobile woman appeared to have been neglected for an extended period of time before authorities found her in her home in the 4900 block of 26th Avenue South.
In The Big Bad Wolf of Beacon Hill, SeattleCrime.com has the police account of a woman on foot being harassed by a man in a vehicle in the early morning hours of March 8th:
The woman told officers she got lost on the way to her friend’s home and, as she was wandering around the neighborhood, a “light brown or gold colored full sized American-made 4 door vehicle” pulled up next to her near 20th Ave S and S Ferdinand and the driver offered her a ride.
The woman declined the man’s offer and kept on walking.
The driver than told the woman “he was a good guy” and asked for her name, but the woman ignored him and kept walking.
Moments later, the report says, the driver got out of his car holding a knife and told the woman “I want sex.”
Meilee offers a first-hand account of being shadowed and stalked by a driver:
After work yesterday 3/16 just after 5P, I was walking north along 15th Ave S. It was still daylight and lots of cars and people around. I just passed the Clearwire store and barbershop and was almost to the garden society house when a man in a burgundy SUV pulled up along side and started rolling his car along. I stopped and he stopped so then I started walking forward and he pulled forward. He turned his vehicle as if he was going to park. So I turned around and started walking back towards ABC Supermarket. When I turned around, I looked back and the guy had put his car in reverse and started driving backwards. I started walking faster and called my husband asked that he pick me up. The guy drove off and I walked into the grocery store.
Anyway I wanted to let people know and just be aware of your surroundings and even walking on a busy street in daylight. Some guy, who knows what his intentions were was “brave” enough to roll along side in his car.
My husband said I did the right thing by walking into a business but I’m still shook up. Who knows what the guys intentions were but even more, what he might do something to someone else.
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Kevin forwarded a note from a neighbor at 24th and McClellan:
We had a burglary on Tuesday. It occurred at about 11:30 AM [Tuesday], when there was apparently no one at home in any of the 6 homes here on this side. Our house had been unoccupied for an hour when this happened. The frame to the lower door (and the door itself) was broken to gain entry, apparently with a pry bar of some sort. The intruders entered and stole items of substantial value, notwithstanding the alarm (and the decals and signs indicating there was an alarm). The police responded 3 hours later.
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Select items from bhnw.org’s scanner logs:
Burglaries:
3/9 9:15pm near 17th and Shelton
3/10 6:15pm near 14th and Nevada
3/12 2:00pm near 14th and Nevada
3/18 12:00pm near 23rd and Spencer
3/18 12:15pm near 22nd and Spencer
Vehicle break-in:
3/11 12:45pm near Beacon and Lander
Shooting:
3/13 6:30pm in Holly Park
Thanks everyone for keeping your neighbors informed!
Photo by Dru Bloomfield (CC).(For all you youngsters out there, Andy Rooney is a commentator on 60 Minutes.)
Hey Beacon Hill drivers: what’s the rush? I’ve been walking these streets for six years, enjoying the peaceful community, friendly neighbors, and quiet streets. Something changed lately… the streets are not as quiet. Â Maybe the construction traffic for Sound Transit slowed traffic on McClellan, and now people are back to their Speed Racer habits. Â It’s not just arterials, though. Â Folks are flying down side streets, too. Â My older dog and increasing belly are slow—is there some reason we should hurry?
Is your kid late enough to school that you need to rush a pregnant woman crossing 23rd? Did you forget to Tivo your soap opera, making it necessary to drive 40mph down 20th, narrowly avoiding parked cars and cats dashing across the street? Â Is there any reason you absolutely must turn right on red as that senior citizen loaded with groceries is making his way across Beacon?
Unless you have flashing lights to go on top of your car or are driving someone to the hospital—SLOW DOWN! Â Per SDOT: In Seattle, the speed limit on residential streets is 25 mph and 30 mph on arterial streets unless otherwise posted. Drivers are expected to know and obey the speed limit.
Pedestrians (and our pooches, strollers, toddlers) have right of way. Stop, look, and wait for pedestrians at intersections. Perhaps you could use that 20 seconds to meditate… or maybe you could hang up your cell phone, put down your sandwich, and remember that you’re in a metal cage capable of killing someone.
Other Andy Rooney editions that probably won’t be posted in the blog:
Why do teenagers text while crossing the road?
Is it too much to ask for people to pick up after their dogs?
A cyclist rides on 14th Avenue South. Photo by Seattle Daily Photo, in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr. “Beacon Hill kids, families and adults, riding bikes to schools, parks, the library and the urban village using a complete circulation system of designated, safe, bicycle routes, including bike boulevards” is the vision of a new group forming on Beacon Hill. The Beacon Family Bike and Pedestrian Circulation Plan Committee invites all interested neighbors to an organizing meeting tomorrow, January 27, from 5:00 – 5:45 pm at the Beacon Hill Library. Organizer Frederica Merrell writes,
“Join neighbors at a meeting to create a safe bike circulation plan that will also benefit walking in our community. Â We are borrowing great ideas from our neighbors to the south in Portland who have been doing family bike planning since 1990 through the Bike Transportation Alliance.
“We want to get kids and adults on their bikes for those short trips on the hill from home to school, the store, McPherson’s, Jefferson Park and the library. Â We don’t want to battle with dangerous arterial traffic. Â We want to create bike boulevards on less busy streets, improve arterial crossings, add signage, and have fun doing it!”
The group’s draft mission is currently “To design, plan and steward the creation of a family bike and pedestrian circulation system for Beacon Hill based on the work of innovative Portland neighbors, PDOT planners, and the Bike Transportation Alliance in coordination with SDOT and components of the SE Transportation Plan, the Bicycle Master Plan and the Pedestrian Master Plan.”
We have received a few questions over the last couple of months about the new crosswalk beacons on Beacon Avenue South at South Lander, just in front of Beacon Hill Station. The crosswalk signs and lights were installed in October, but the lights did not function, and no buttons were installed to activate them.
The lights have just started working recently. According to SDOT, the delay was caused when the lights were installed by Sound Transit’s contractor, who installed the wrong wiring for them. The contractor removed and replaced the wiring, and now the overhead crosswalk beacons are on and flashing. (They won’t be button-controlled.)
Jefferson Community Center is again offering the $2 Try It program, in which you can try a class or program once for only $2. Class dates are between January 4 and January 30, and classes include Zumba, Yoga, Pottery, Pilates, Pickleball, Badminton, Hapkido, Ballet, Hip Hop Dance, Cartoon Drawing, Instructional Basketball, Little Dribblers, Creative Dance, and Line Dancing. See the Winter class catalog here.
Thanks to Doreen Deaver for the info!
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Craig Thompson writes on the BAN list that many volunteers have been hard at work on Beacon Avenue and at Jose Rizal Park:
“Washington State Department of Corrections supervised a cleanup of street litter [Saturday] along Beacon Avenue and adjacent streets. Next week, WSDOC will continue cleanups of litter and trash in the East Duwamish Greenbelt, on the west side of Beacon Hill.
Â
“At Jose Rizal Park, 20 volunteers, EarthCorps crew members, and community court service workers cut blackberries and moved 300+ potted native plants into the woods; these will be planted on Saturday, January 16, in a large volunteer event (100 people expected) that will kick off the Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday weekend of volunteer work in Seattle. On Saturday, January 9, the community court service workers will return for a general cleanup.”
If pedestrian issues are your interest, you still have a day to apply for the city’s Pedestrian Advisory Board. Three volunteers are wanted for the board, which advises the Mayor and City Council, as well as participating in planning and policy activities relevant to pedestrians. The board meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at City Hall. Board members serve for two years, and must be Seattle residents who are not city employees. Those interested in serving should submit a resume and cover letter by Wednesday December 16 to brian.dougherty@seattle.gov. For more information, email Brian Dougherty, or call him at (206) 684-5124, or e-mail him at the address above.
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The International District Housing Alliance (IDHA) is a non-profit organization that provides housing services and community building to the Chinatown/International District and greater Seattle’s low-income, Asian Pacific Islander, immigrant and refugee communities, including many who live in Beacon Hill and surrounding neighborhoods. The IDHA is holding a Holiday Dinner on Wednesday, December 16 from 4:00 to 7:00 p,, and a Holiday Gift Drive until December 18. The dinner, at the Four Seas Restaurant in the International District, will help elderly neighbors celebrate the season with friends and family. Activities will include live entertainment, a six course Chinese banquet, a raffle, and door prizes. In the gift drive, CID elderly residents, youth and family clients send in gift requests, and Sound Transit and the University of Washington Law School help distribute gift requests and collect presents for participants. Presents will be wrapped and delivered between December 18-23. If you would like to donate to the holiday dinner, or to volunteer to wrap and/or deliver gifts, or you need information, contact Alma Dea Michelena at almadea@apialliance.org, or call 206-623-5132, extension 322.
