by Gwen Davis

The second of two interactive meetings on safety improvements for 35th Ave. kicked off Tues. afternoon at the Southwest Library with SDOT manager, Jim Curtin.

“The goal of this project is to implement safety for everyone who uses the corridor,” Curtin said. “We will have a list of short and long term improvements, with public input.”

The meeting included a discussion on the background of the corridor, a general Q&A and a breakout session where participants had the chance to look at charts, talk ideas out with fellow residents and provide personal input.

The improvements will begin in the spring/summer of 2015.

Takeaways of the meeting:

The corridor’s crashes are nearly double those of other streets in the city. For drivers, there have been five fatalities in the past 10 years. Distractions are the top contribution to collisions on 35th, according to SDOT’s close partnership with the Seattle Police Department. The other issues are speeding, impaired driving and failure to yield right of way. Photo enforcement cannot be used to catch all speeding, due to state law. The school zones force drivers to cruise at or below 20 mph but that’s only twice a day and in those places with schools.

“There’s been a rumor that 35th will become one lane each way,” one participant said. “Yes, that is being considered but we need to do our homework and make sure we’re not causing a nightmare that won’t lead to other safety issues.”

“Are there plans to widen the road?” one participant asked. There are not, Curtin said. There are plans for a road diet, like mentioned in previous coverage.

“Could they drop the speed to 30 mph now, instead of waiting for [infrastructure?” another participant said. However, when speeds are changed, they don’t do much — there will still be safety concerns, Curtin said. There needs to be more done infrastructure -wise.

Crossing 35th is a must to address. There are many times when a parent crosses the busy street, carrying their kid from Camp Long. “We need to look at those people,” Curtin said. Generally, when a pedestrian tries to cross a busy street and one car waits for that person, but the other car doesn’t see the pedestrian, that’s a "bad situation”.

35th can be very dark at night, which can cause difficulties, one participant commented.

“Why do we need another major street with bike lanes?” another attendee asked. “Why do all of these streets have to accommodate them?” Bikers are everywhere, Curtin said. “People live on 35th. There’s information that when bike lanes are put in, good things happen,” such as small companies getting more business.

Flashing crosswalks are not used anymore. “They are a maintenance nightmare,” Curtin said. Speed bumps will most likely be put in, which would be later in 2016.

“Is it possible to not have parking on 35th at all?” another asked. “This issue was addressed Wed.,” Curtin responded. “The people who live there said, ‘please preserve our parking.’” People who use Camp Long also need parking on 35th.