The city wants to put 24th Avenue Northwest and Stone Way on a diet and several in indusry are not happy about the idea.

The Seattle Deparment of Transportation figures four lanes would be better with three lanes, parking and bike lanes instead of the present four traffic lanes with curbside parking.

"Put us on a diet?" says Susie Burke, secretary of the North Seattle Industrial Association. "It may turn out to be constipation."

The president of the association, Warren Aakervik of Ballard Oil, agrees.

"Because we can't do it the right way, we will do it this way."

He says that large semi-truck rigs need 24th to reach his business, and Burke says trucks have no other way but Stone Way to her Fremont area along the ship canal.

Both arterials are vital links to business, but the city seems ready to make the changes soon.

The city transportation depatement website describes the idea thusly:

"A 'road diet' is a term that describes the reduction in the number of travel lanes on a roadway. Typically, a section of roadway with four motor vehicle lanes and parking on both sides of the street is converted to a three-way roadway, with two motovehicle travel lanes and one center turn lane, with parking and striped bicycle lanes on both sides of the street."

The department says the fewer number of traffic lanes that pedestrians must cross "improves pedestrian safety." The change to three lanes will "allow" the city to keep the present crosswalks.

"If a road diet is not implemented on these roadways, Seattle Department of Transportation will remove the marked crosswalks," the city says.

There is only one crosswalk involved on 24th Avenue Northwest, at Northwest 58th Street. The "diet" would extend from Northwest 56th to Northwest 65th.

On Stone Way there are four that will be taken out if the "diet" is not implemented. They are at North 38th Street, North 41st Street, North 47th Street and North 48th Street. The city says the changes are in response to "neighborhood requests to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and access on Stone Way North." The change would be from North 34th Street and North 50th.

The "marked crosswalks no longer meet our recommended guidelines for placement of a marked crosswalk alone" - one without an accompanying traffic signal. Transportation officials say "the first thing" they consider is reducing the number of traffic lanes people have to cross.

Burke says all four lanes are needed for trucks to get from the freeway to the Fremont and Ballard industral businesses along the canal. She says it appears the City Council will not involve itself in this type of decision.

"If narrowing our streets is their way, why should we vote for them?" Burke says.

Kara Ceriello says she uses 24th all the time to travel to and from her Wallingford business and it is usually a major truck route. She worries that slow moving trucks will result in irritated drivers trying to pass in the third lane, a left turn lane supposedly.

Others worry that delivery trunks will use the middle late to park while making deliveries, a common sight around the city.

Aakervik it is another sign that bicyclists and pedestrians have more power than the industry that provides jobs to Seattle citizens.

"It (24th Northwest) is the only effective way to get freight in and out," he says.

He and others say better crosswalks are needed, not their removal.

In reference to Stone Way, the city says the transportation department "must remove existing uncontrolled marked crosswalks" to comply with "new federally established guidelines for pedestrian crossings, to ensure that pedestrians are crossing the street in the best locations. The preferred pedestrian crossings of this corridor wold be a the traffic signals if a road dies is not possible."

Jack Mayne may be reached at jmayne@robinsonnews.com or 783.1244.