 |
| Rich Meredith and Kirk McKinley with neighborhood traffic safety plan maps at the Echo Lake Neighborhood Association meeting |
Every one of the 14 neighborhoods in Shoreline has a Neighborhood Traffic Action Plan (NTAP). The plan identifies all the traffic problems in the neighborhood, identifies the recommended solution, and prioritizes high, medium, and low.
As money is available or grants are awarded, these recommendations are implemented.
 |
| New sidewalk along Hamlin Park Photo by Steven H. Robinson |
An example is the recently completed sidewalk along Hamlin Park. This has been on the priority list for a long time. Sidewalks are very expensive, but the City was able to get a grant to fund this portion. "Unfortunately," said Kirk McKinley, Transportation Planning Manager for Shoreline, "we didn't have enough money to finish the sidewalk all along the park."
The NTAPs came about in 2006, Rich Meredith, City Traffic Engineer, explained at the February meeting of the Echo Lake Neighborhood Association. Before then, the City had tried to address traffic concerns street by street. They felt that a more regional approach would be better and would not just shift the problems from one street to another. They wanted to have a plan in place so they were ready when dollars became available.
A traffic engineer, John Marek, was hired to work with the neighborhoods to develop the plans. It took him six years to work his way through all the neighborhoods.
Echo Lake was completed in 2007. A public meeting was held and Echo Lake residents were invited to tell staff about their concerns. An advisory committee was formed of Echo Lake residents. All the concerns were listed and investigated. Committee members went to the reported locations and tried to observe them to see the problems as reported. Police and fire were involved, to get their input about traffic issues.
The results were taken back to the community at a public meeting to gather more input about the problems and proposed solutions.
 |
| Traffic circles are used to slow traffic through neighborhoods Photo by Steven H. Robinson |
Some low-cost solutions were implemented that year - a few traffic calming devices such as traffic circles, caution signs painted on the streets. Some items were added to the regular City work schedule and completed.
An updated map of Echo Lake shows 14 completed projects. The rest of the items on the map are still problems.
McKinley noted that it was time to go around and update the plans. An Echo Lake board member commented that one of the issues in Echo Lake was that the NTAP was completed while the South Echo Lake buildings were under construction. Now Echo Lake has 3,000 new residents, and the YMCA, which changes the traffic patterns into the neighborhood, and new residents, who have their own opinions about traffic issues.
Maps for all the neighborhoods are on the City's webpage
Echo Lake has 3000 new residents, yet Shoreline's population is virtually unchanged since 2000. So where did the pre-existing 3000 residents of Shoreline go...and why?
ReplyDeleteGood people coming into the town is good for the town. Bad people leaving the town is good for the town. Good people leaving the town is bad for the town. Bad people coming into the town is bad for the town.
ReplyDeleteThey used to teach that in our schools. They no longer do. Now our kids are taught there are no good people, no bad people. There are only inequalities.
I see that improved bike safety on RB Road is in "conjuction with new development". Surely this doesn't mean it will be updated when Point Wells gets developed? That's in the far far far future. Right now, there are no bike accommodations west of Aurora, with the exception of the Interurban Trail, which parallels Aurora south of 155th. Time to change the car-centric ways of Shoreline and make it safe and accessible for all forms of transportation. Riding on RB road is terrifying right now, even though it is one of few routes to the Interurban Trail from Richmond Beach and surrounding areas. In fact, it is the only route that doesn't involve long detours or steep hills. It is also one of the main roads in Shoreline, like 185th and 155th, which have (spotty) bike lanes.
ReplyDeleteRB road does not have steep hills? Which RB road is that?
ReplyDeleteI read it as between 8th and Aurora it is the only route without hills/long detours. Because there's obviously going to be a hill.
DeleteIf the city is going to build sidewalk then just build it all paved and please avoid having patches of grass because nobody is going to have time and money to maintain those grass and they all turn into ugly weed.
ReplyDeleteI have a Grandson that is about to learn to ride a bike, and to get to the Interurban Trail he is going to have to ride on Stone Ave. N. With the amount of traffic and the speeds that they travel, it will be impossible for me to allow him to ride on such a dangerous street. I live on Stone Ave. and have for the past 34 years. I see on a daily basis how bad the traffic is on this street. Between UPS trucks, Fed Ex trucks, Sr. Center buses, private buses from the Retirement Center, YMCA buses, and local delivery trucks all use this street to bypass 185th & Aurora. These are all oversized vehicles on a residential street; adding to the narrowness of the street and the speed of other vehicles on this street going both N & S at the same time, it makes this a very dangerous street.
ReplyDeleteAurora Rents is no longer using this street to transport rented equipment; but the city rebuilt the traffic lanes in front of the Retirement Center on 192nd. We now have traffic from there coming down Stone Ave in their place.
We have had the white traffic speed control trailers on this street on & off for the past 3 years. You have monitered the traffic on this street and yet nothing has happened. So where are our speed bumps or traffic circle, like almost every other street in Shoreline has? What is it going to take to get something done on this street. A child walking or riding a bike on this street going up to 711 to get their treats, and getting hit or worse killed here because there was nothing to slow the cars down and be aware of people on the street.
I was on the Echo Lake NTSB Board and asked Mark why nothing was being done, and he replied "nothing can be done". Why?
Loren Lango