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| More than fifty activists with Save Shoreline Trees and Tree Action Seattle rallied on 175th against the city’s plan to expand sidewalks and add bike lanes that could remove more than 274 trees Photo by Oliver Moffat |
By Oliver Moffat
175th is a problem with no easy solutions. Traffic jams and crashes are back to pre-pandemic levels and an earthquake could send the road into Ronald Bog. Metro’s new 333 bus is coming soon to the road. The city wants people to walk and bike more but pedestrians (including students) must brave crossing up to seven lanes of traffic.
Activists want the city to narrow sidewalks to save trees and businesses have fought road diets in the past. Whatever happens, everyone in the region will be impacted for decades to come.
On Sunday, May 19, 2024 more than fifty activists with Save Shoreline Trees and Tree Action Seattle turned out for a rally on 175th to protest the City's plan to widen 175th between Aurora and I-5 to make room for pedestrians and bicyclists which could cost over $88 million and require chopping down 274 trees.
With traffic jammed (as usual) on 175th street, passing drivers honked enthusiastically, showing their support for the activists’ calls to save trees by narrowing the proposed sidewalks.
Shoreline city council member Keith Scully even stopped by to show his support.
Flyers distributed by Save Shoreline Trees called on the city to reduce sidewalks to 7 feet or less and said 13 foot sidewalks are unnecessary. The group said they don’t want 175th to be “devastated” like 145th where the city removed more than 300 trees to make way for sidewalks and roundabouts to support the light rail station opening later this year.
Plagued by traffic jams, N 175th Street between I-5 and Aurora is Shoreline’s busiest city street with more than 20,000 vehicle trips per day. It’s also one of the city’s most dangerous roads. According to data from the Washington State Patrol, collisions on N 175th Street have roared back to pre-pandemic levels: in 2019 there were 77 crashes; in 2023 there were 76.
Starting in 2019, the city collected feedback from over 1,500 residents to list their top priorities for 175th street: pedestrian walkability, solving traffic jams, and improving safety were the top three priorities.
The city’s Climate Action Plan says vehicles are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Shoreline and sets a goal to get more people to ride busses and bikes. Shoreline’s Complete Streets policy requires road projects to be designed for the safe and convenient access of all users including pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users; not just motorists.
On the other side of town, the city’s Transportation Improvement Plan calls for a road diet on the east side of I-5 that (instead of expanding the width of the road) would shrink NE 175th St from four lanes to three while adding bike lanes.
That plan would cost about $2.3 million without removing trees. Although the U.S. Department of Transportation says road diets improve safety and calm traffic, twenty years ago the city council rolled back a plan to put 15th Ave NE in the North City business district on a road diet after push back from businesses.
On June 10, the much anticipated (and overdue) Annual Traffic Report will be reviewed by the city council and Traffic Enforcement Cameras will be discussed. The council will vote on whether to add Scooters and Bicycle Sharing to Shoreline’s roads.
On June 24, before the council adjourns for their summer vacation, the Commute Trip Reduction Plan will be reviewed.
5-23-2024 Save Shoreline Trees will not be making a presentation at the June 3rd council meeting.
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| An arial photo shows the 75 foot crosswalk at the intersection of Meridian and 175th where pedestrians must brave five lanes of car traffic in all directions |
On Sunday, May 19, 2024 more than fifty activists with Save Shoreline Trees and Tree Action Seattle turned out for a rally on 175th to protest the City's plan to widen 175th between Aurora and I-5 to make room for pedestrians and bicyclists which could cost over $88 million and require chopping down 274 trees.
With traffic jammed (as usual) on 175th street, passing drivers honked enthusiastically, showing their support for the activists’ calls to save trees by narrowing the proposed sidewalks.
Shoreline city council member Keith Scully even stopped by to show his support.
Flyers distributed by Save Shoreline Trees called on the city to reduce sidewalks to 7 feet or less and said 13 foot sidewalks are unnecessary. The group said they don’t want 175th to be “devastated” like 145th where the city removed more than 300 trees to make way for sidewalks and roundabouts to support the light rail station opening later this year.
Trees increase walkability by providing shade and mitigate urban heat islands caused by large expanses of pavement, according Sandy Shettler from Tree Action Seattle. “Walkability includes shade. These are the public’s trees and they should be saved for the good of public health” she said while waving to passing cars.
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| A map from the Washington State Patrol Collision Analysis Tool shows the locations of ten years of crashes along 175th between Aurora and I-5 |
Plagued by traffic jams, N 175th Street between I-5 and Aurora is Shoreline’s busiest city street with more than 20,000 vehicle trips per day. It’s also one of the city’s most dangerous roads. According to data from the Washington State Patrol, collisions on N 175th Street have roared back to pre-pandemic levels: in 2019 there were 77 crashes; in 2023 there were 76.
Starting in 2019, the city collected feedback from over 1,500 residents to list their top priorities for 175th street: pedestrian walkability, solving traffic jams, and improving safety were the top three priorities.
Although the city didn’t ask specifically about tree preservation, “landscaping character” was rated at the bottom of the wishlist just above bike lanes by Shoreline residents.
To address traffic jams, the city won’t be able to make the road much wider - it’s already a five-lane road and is over 75 feet wide. It narrows to four lanes at Wallingford where it squeezes between rock retaining walls and spreads out to seven lanes at Aurora. Because of the phenomenon known as Induced Demand, adding more lanes probably wouldn’t help.
But traffic jams are just the start of the problems. When the city started designing the project, they discovered an earthquake could cause 175th to “slip and slide” into nearby Ronald Bog and received an $8 million grant from FEMA to rebuild the road.
Flyers distributed by Save Shoreline Tree called 175th “a primary access route to I-5 and a truck route” and said because there was no light rail station, wider sidewalks weren’t necessary. But later this year, Metro’s new route 333 will provide frequent, cross-town bus service along 175th street, increasing pedestrian traffic on the road.
The city’s Transportation Element Bicycle Plan, adopted by the city council in 2022, promises bike lanes on 175th street that would be safe enough for children to ride on.
Parents and students, who must brave five lanes of car traffic to get to Meridian Park elementary, want the city council to do something about traffic safety on 175th. Between I-5 and Aurora there are only seven crosswalks and the road can be up to 90 feet wide.
To address traffic jams, the city won’t be able to make the road much wider - it’s already a five-lane road and is over 75 feet wide. It narrows to four lanes at Wallingford where it squeezes between rock retaining walls and spreads out to seven lanes at Aurora. Because of the phenomenon known as Induced Demand, adding more lanes probably wouldn’t help.
But traffic jams are just the start of the problems. When the city started designing the project, they discovered an earthquake could cause 175th to “slip and slide” into nearby Ronald Bog and received an $8 million grant from FEMA to rebuild the road.
Flyers distributed by Save Shoreline Tree called 175th “a primary access route to I-5 and a truck route” and said because there was no light rail station, wider sidewalks weren’t necessary. But later this year, Metro’s new route 333 will provide frequent, cross-town bus service along 175th street, increasing pedestrian traffic on the road.
The city’s Transportation Element Bicycle Plan, adopted by the city council in 2022, promises bike lanes on 175th street that would be safe enough for children to ride on.
At the rally, Susanne Tsoming, co-chair of Save Shoreline Trees, when asked about the city’s plan said, “It’s a major arterial and not made for strolling… I think it’s insane to ride a bike on this road with cars.”
Parents and students, who must brave five lanes of car traffic to get to Meridian Park elementary, want the city council to do something about traffic safety on 175th. Between I-5 and Aurora there are only seven crosswalks and the road can be up to 90 feet wide.
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| The location of trees to be removed to make way for sidewalks and a bike lane near Meridian Park elementary are shown on a map from the arborist report |
The city’s Climate Action Plan says vehicles are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Shoreline and sets a goal to get more people to ride busses and bikes. Shoreline’s Complete Streets policy requires road projects to be designed for the safe and convenient access of all users including pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users; not just motorists.
On the other side of town, the city’s Transportation Improvement Plan calls for a road diet on the east side of I-5 that (instead of expanding the width of the road) would shrink NE 175th St from four lanes to three while adding bike lanes.
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| A table shows the number of car lanes and widths of the seven crosswalks pedestrians must brave while crossing 175th street between Aurora and I-5. |
On May 20, the city council was scheduled to vote on adoption of the Transportation Improvement Plan. And the council was scheduled to discuss a plan to roll out Scooter and Bike Sharing in the city. The Natural Environment and Transportation sections of the Comprehensive Plan were also on the agenda.
UPDATE: At the June 3rd city council meeting, the 175th street project will be back on the agenda for discussion.A presentation from Save Shoreline Trees is no longer on the agenda. In an email, Kathleen Russell from Save Shoreline Trees said, “Although the City initially approved our application for a presentation, we are not in agreement on the guidelines and we have withdrawn our application.”
On June 10, the much anticipated (and overdue) Annual Traffic Report will be reviewed by the city council and Traffic Enforcement Cameras will be discussed. The council will vote on whether to add Scooters and Bicycle Sharing to Shoreline’s roads.
On June 24, before the council adjourns for their summer vacation, the Commute Trip Reduction Plan will be reviewed.
5-23-2024 Save Shoreline Trees will not be making a presentation at the June 3rd council meeting.
With all the construction and demolishing going on all around Shoreline how can we be sure 175th isn't adequate to handle traffic? With detours, rerouting, street maintenance etc its a false forecast of capacity. Just because you get a government grant doesn't mean it makes sense or logical to pursue.
ReplyDeleteLets catch up to the horse first before we keep throwing the cart in front of it.
This is a great overview of the issues at play with this project. As someone who walks, bikes, and drives down this road, I get a firsthand view of its deficiencies. There is an opportunity to greatly reduce the impact on trees and adjacent property owners while still providing safety for all road users: adopt the approach planned east of I-5 to the most constrained parts of 175th west of I-5.
ReplyDeleteTsoming's comment misses the point. People aren't strolling or biking here for fun, they're using the road because it's the most reasonable route to their destination. It doesn't have to be "insane" to travel down this road; it only needs more substantial separation between motorized and nonmotorized traffic.
This doesn't look like a transportation plan to me. It is more anti-transportation. It is a plan to force people out of their cars, to congest the streets even more, and to fulfill some environmental vision that takes no consideration of weather. This is not southern Cal, Italy, or Greece. This is rainy, cold gray Seattle and people don't bike in the winter and the rain.
ReplyDeleteUntil Save Shoreline Trees start running candidates for office nothing is going to happen with our our developer-centric council.
ReplyDeleteSeattle came up with a solution for their own problem (https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/seattle-goes-dutch-with-a-new-bicycle-intersection/) so there is likely a solution in Shoreline that is good for trees and safety. Shoreline just needs more imaginative traffic engineers and/or consultants. Current city staff can't think outside the box even if their lives (or livelihoods) depended upon it...
ReplyDeleteDon't need wider sidewalks for $88 billion. Adding bike lanes will only add to the congestion and even deadlier accidents. I refuse to believe there is enough bicyclist to warrant this kind of spending (more politics rather than actual needs).
ReplyDeleteIf you want to reduce accidents, put up speeding camera and ticket people for speeding or crossing red lights. City gets some revenue too. Lake Forest Park has one setup for Brookside Elementary School due to people racing there.
Unless you close off the I-5 entrance/exit, there is no amount of road modification to ease the traffic there. Adding all those apartment building will make it only worse.
An pedestrian overpass can help with any traffic concerns from traffic safety from students/parents, but something tells me that will cost like $100 billion.
Should start with the cameras.
Shoreline needs to reduce all speeds to 25 mph around the city and enforce this limit. The roads are currently lawless, and when I follow the posted speed, cars tailgate me. Few people obey the new 30 mph limit, and walking on the sidewalk feels unsafe when cars speed past at 40 mph. Roads like 175th need speed humps to stop drivers from racing to make the light to get onto I-5. The questionnaire from Shoreline about choices seemed biased, forcing you to pick the least bad option rather than what you truly wanted. Additionally, reducing the charm and shade of these beautiful trees will not encourage people to walk more; those who aren't walking now won't start later if the environment becomes less pleasant.
ReplyDeleteReally hopeful that we can come to an agreement to save the trees! Reducing the sidewalk size seems like everyone wins!
ReplyDeleteTo get people out of their cars will require having places like sidewalks and separate bike paths that are invitingly shaded by trees. Let's stop cutting down the answer.
ReplyDeleteEven though it is still May we are already experiencing drought conditions. Trees are a wondeful resource for storing water in the ground and helping to keep our neighborhoods green. This means cooler summers for everyone including the birds and wildlife.
And or evergreen tree protect us from the sorst of winter winds helping to reduce the need for heating. The science is in, let's make wise use of the wondeful assets we are fortunate to have.
Here's an idea (or two or..) Close Meridian Park and move the students to other schools, north and south of NE 175th (Shoreline School district has fewer students and needs to close schools). Use the "now empty school" as a park n ride during the week. Lease it to community groups with mixed use. Install red light cameras at the intersection of Meridian and 175th to gather fines and pay for infrastructure. Hire a motorcycle policeman or two to cite speeders. Generate income to pay for barriers next to sidewalk. Let everyone in Washington know this is a "speed trap". Publish info on WAZE and Google and Siri that there are speed checks. Let pedestrians and bicyclists share the existing sidewalk and not fear that the car 3 feet from them going 10 miles over the speed limit is going to hit them while the driver checks their instagram. I'm sure our city council can come up with some creative solutions - unless someone on the council have ties to the tree "service" that will take them all down?
ReplyDeleteTo me, is insane and a crime to cut so many trees, it is increíble that no body can do something to stop this. Can some people in the environment dept. have some ideas to preserve this wonderful trees, there are an asset to this city. We are becoming a cement city. How many so far ? Please Stop.
ReplyDeleteI am very relieved and refreshed by the democratic process in that the deforestation plans are being revisited.
ReplyDeleteI really don’t want to believe that city government is being run by developers.
I applaud the creativity of other proposals and desperately hope that the will of the people means something. Ever since the orange ribbons went up I can no longer bear to use that street so that’s my contribution to less congestion
The sidewalk on the south side of N. 175th approaching Meridian Park Elementary is unsafe and DISGRACEFUL. For several blocks, students and families must brave a narrow "sidewalk" with no parking strip as cars speed down the hill towards Meridian. I have walked this path many times as a parent and a teacher at the school. It is a serious hazard. I am hopeful that serious safety improvements in the sidewalk approaching Meridian Park Elementary on N. 175th (south side/school side) will be included in this plan.
ReplyDeleteBusiness owners are well aware, if you want people to walk further you must give them an interesting place to walk. Creative paving that saves the beautiful trees will do just that. A wide open paved expanse that's blazing hot or drenched in rain will be a recipe for avoidance. It will not encourage walking, or biking for that matter.
ReplyDeleteI have used this area to catch the bus to the UW as a student, then as an employee of the UW for over 20 years total. I believe that we can ease traffic without cutting down so many trees. The cost to widen roads and add bike lanes is ridiculous. This area with the freeway entrance and exits is busy and a terrible place to have bikes in the mix.
ReplyDeleteWe are not Lynnwood…We should not become Lynnwood…We do not want to be Lynnwood…
ReplyDeleteSo many good comments here! I especially like the creative thinking by "Just my Opinion". Thank you! If reckless driving on 175th was prohibited, most of the problems would be solved. Why let them drive the decisions? Crack down on these drivers now and maybe we can scale back on all of the other plans, saving trees, money and confidence in our elected officials to address needs without sacrificing the health of people, creatures and the planet.
ReplyDeleteGreat article!
ReplyDeleteIf the city really cared about lowering emissions they would make the roads more efficient to drive on and correct the light timing issues. It adds safety issues as well with people running more red lights because they get frustrated sitting at lights all the time. I can drive on 99 through Seattle and Edmonds faster than I can through Shoreline. It's so bad it has to be intentional
ReplyDeleteBased on the comments shared, here's a consolidated perspective on the proposed plan to cut down trees to widen sidewalks in Shoreline:
ReplyDelete1. **Assess Road Capacity Accurately**:
- It's crucial to consider that current traffic assessments might be skewed due to ongoing construction, detours, and rerouting. A more accurate forecast is needed to determine the road’s actual capacity before making drastic changes.
2. **Implement and Enforce Lower Speed Limits**:
- Reducing the speed limit to 25 mph across the city and strictly enforcing it can significantly enhance safety. Adding speed humps and red-light cameras, particularly on roads like 175th, will help control speeding and improve pedestrian safety.
3. **Consider Environmental Impact**:
- Trees play a vital role in providing shade, reducing heat, storing water, and protecting against wind. Preserving these trees is essential for maintaining the area's natural charm and encouraging walking and biking by creating a more inviting environment.
4. **Explore Creative Traffic Solutions**:
- Alternative solutions, such as slightly narrowing sidewalks to save trees or constructing pedestrian overpasses, should be explored. Successful strategies from other cities could be adapted and applied here to address local needs.
5. **Prioritize Practical Needs Over Political Agendas**:
- The focus should be on practical, needs-based solutions rather than political motivations. Infrastructure changes must genuinely address the safety and transportation needs of all community members.
6. **Engage the Community in Decision-Making**:
- It's important to ensure that community input genuinely influences decision-making processes. Addressing concerns about biased questionnaires and striving for transparent, democratic decision-making will help reflect the true will of the people.
Following these steps could lead to a balanced solution that ensures safety, preserves the natural environment, and meets the practical needs of the community.
Regarding traffic and pedestrian safety along N 175th Street, especially near Meridian Park Elementary School, school crossing guards have for a very long time asked for a photo camera at the Wallingford crosswalk. The issue will be discussed at the June 10 City Council meeting at 7 PM. In March 2024, ESHB 2384 was signed into law, making tit possible for cities and counties to have traffic cameras in more places. “Speed cameras have proven to change driver behavior,” Gov. Jay Inslee said before signing legislation that broadens existing statutes concerning use of automated traffic enforcement cameras. “Drivers slow down and slowing down saves lives.” The City should install that camera now, before someone is hurt or killed, not wait for years of construction on 175th to put in a pedestrian signal and median refuge. It is up to the Council to approve it.
ReplyDeleteRE: Safety: In their new Parking Enforcement Program, the City is assigning TWO parking enforcement officers to roam in the electric parking enforcement vehicle and educate drivers on where to park legally and issue tickets for various parking violations. Does not make me feel safer. How about patrolling and issuing tickets for speeding and ignoring the yellow flashing light at the Wallingford crosswalk on 175th?
ReplyDeleteAppreciate all of the comments above.
ReplyDeleteFirst, we need to be aware that once the trees are gone, they are gone, and they take a long time to grow. This corridor of trees is welcoming in our community and has many benefits that have been mentioned.
Second, we all need to slow down in general. Regulating this with speed limits, lights that give tickets automatically helps around school areas to get people to slow down. This corner is a confluence of traffic coming off the freeway, traffic that is being diverted from 145th ad 185th due to the light rail. Also, it makes sense to create alternative pathways for the bikers, rather than encouraging bike traffic in this area. Of the needs, the earthquake mitigation plan seems the most important. Also, there is a limit to growth, and we need to look at this questions as central to future planning.