Another Greenwood-Phinney DR 2015-10 SDOT Abdication

[Douglas MacDonald]

In the Phinny-Grseenwood area here’s another example of SDOT’s seemingly complete abandonment of DR 2015-10 to protect pedestrian accessibility at construction sites that block sidewalks  This is apartment building construction site is at 8103 Greenwood Avenue North.  

No pedestrian protection whatsoever!  This is how the site was left for Saturday morning of a three-day holiday weekend.  

Of course, this is a heavily used urban village sidewalk, even on a Saturday morning. so walkers just use the roadway with not even a shadow of protection from live vehicle traffic (view from the south).

Viewed from the north, this is what you see.

The suggested “detour” would take you across Greenwood at a busy intersection with no marked crosswalk.

This lack of pedestrian markings on Greenwood has seemingly led exasperated anonymous citizen sidewalk painters to paint a crosswalk themselves at 83rd.

The lack of pedestrian protection at the construction site in the 8100 block isn’t because SDOT thought the curb lane couldn’t safely be sacrificed for pedestrian protection (as indicated by DR 2015-10). One block to the south in the 8000 block, SDOT has been perfectly happy with, and permitted, the curb lane to be re-purposed for a beer garden.  

Does anybody think it’s strange that during the pandemic as SDOT landed on “walkability” as an important response that would put streeteries in curb lanes and “Safe Healthy Streets” around the city as the focus for its dollars and staff, SDOT couldn’t stay on top of enforcing DR 2015 -10 rules for the basic proposition of protecting everyday sidewalk accessibility on everyday sidewalks around everywhere construction sites?  

[Robin Randels]

Douglas,

Ridiculous as well as dangerous and unacceptable to suggest crossing the street anywhere along Phinney/Greenwood at unprotected and “invisible to drivers” unmarked, but implied, crosswalks. Even the most basic series of cones would make this safer. Not costly. 

Seriously, drivers do not “see” people waiting on sidewalks to cross where something isn’t marked—particularly at dusk when shadows are shifting. And specifically if said drivers are moving faster than 30 mph. 

-The field of vision pinpoints to the middle of the road making sidewalks invisible. 

-Recognition and reaction time is longer.

-Stopping distance is shorter.

 Crossing the street is never the safer thing to do. Why are construction sights getting away with this non-solution?

Robin 

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Robin Randels

rkrandels@gmail.com

206.390.3945