(Editor's note: The following letter was sent to Barbara Gray with the Seattle Department of Transportation from the Ballard District Council regarding the draft Seattle Pedestrian Master Plan.)

Dear Ms. Gray:

The Ballard District Council has completed its initial review of the draft Seattle Pedestrian Master Plan, dated May 2009. The District Council’s Neighborhood Plan Update Committee presented its draft recommendations to you following your briefing on the plan at the June 10 council meeting.

Overall, the committee was very impressed with the depth of information and detailed analysis provided in the draft Seattle Pedestrian Master Plan. We hope that this living document will become a useful tool for the city and neighborhoods when determining prioritization for projects and for setting guidelines for project identification and implementation.

We feel, however, that this draft plan is missing a few, very key, components, which we have outlined below under “Overall Recommendations," “Implementation Recommendations" and “Recommendations for Further Clarity."

Overall Recommendations

The plan does not connect with other existing (or future) neighborhood plans. The neighborhoods need to be included and have a say as to what improvements they would like to receive in their community. We recommend that the Pedestrian Master Plan incorporate neighborhood plans in the prioritization criteria in a meaningful manner, e.g. an overlay map. We recognize that neighborhood plan recommendations are not currently on a map, however, this should be a goal moving forwards.

The plan reacts to existing conditions instead of developing infrastructure to serve future needs. We recommend that the plan include future needs as well as existing conditions in the prioritization criteria.

It is unclear if the plan integrates with other city planning efforts like the Bicycle Master Plan, Pedestrian Overlay Zones, Business District Strategies, or even the Growth Management Act. We recommend that the Pedestrian Master Plan integrate with all other relevant plans and initiatives.

The plan should consider shared use trails and linear parks as part of the pedestrian infrastructure.

Implementation Recommendations

The plan should receive significantly more funding for implementation.

Even distribution of projects/funding across the city may not be fair or effective. We agree that the plan should provide equitable distribution of services across the city; however, prioritization should be based on projects with most significant impact.

The plan should develop a tool for providing incentives to developers and commercial property owners to attract small store-front businesses.

The plan should provide additional resources to pedestrian safety education.

The plan should seek designated pedestrian access to city right of way “street ends” and enforce encroachment violations.

The plan should highlight opportunities for public access to street ends that provide public access to water.

The plan should encourage awnings in urban villages.

The plan should encourage the use of “no right on red” signs at intersections where pedestrian and vehicle conflicts are likely to occur.

The plan should encourage the city to focus on pedestrian access during the construction of new intersections.

The plan should ensure sidewalk cafes provide adequate clearance for pedestrians to pass freely.

The plan should encourage and provide tools to facilitate the activation of alleys.

Recommendations for Further Clarity

The plan should clarify the definition of vibrancy as a criteria.

The plan should clarify how it will balance improvements that promote vibrancy vs. safety (if a disconnect exists).

The plan should clarify rules and enforcement responsibilities for reducing sidewalk clutter.

The plan should provide more details (numbers) in the accountability section; including measurable outcomes (similar to the Bicycle Master Plan).

The plan should clarify the priority between freight mobility and complete streets.

The plan should clarify how updates will occur given new data and information (like a new park).

We thank the Seattle Department of Transportation for affording the Ballard District Council with an opportunity to provide feedback. We hope to be able to continue this dialogue as the plan nears completion. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like further clarification on any of the following recommendations.

Regards,
Steven Cohn, president, Ballard District Council