Looking Out for Road Safety in SLU

When I'm on my way to or through our South Lake Union neighborhood, getting where I'm going safely is important to me. And given all the hustle and bustle on our city streets, being attentive to safe travel—regardless of mode of transportation— is more important than ever. In fact, for your South Lake Union Community Council's transportation committee, it's a priority!

In September of 2013, our community partnered with the City of Seattle, PATH, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UW Medicine and others to pilot a Road Safety Forum launching our City's Neighbors for Road Safety.

Neighbors who attended learned about safety hot spots in and around South Lake Union, the circumstances that contribute to crashes, and what we can each do to improve our safety and the safety of others in our community.

"Whether you are a driver like I am, take the bus or streetcar, ride a bike, or walk, it's important that people understand how to look out for each other," said my colleague and South Lake Union Community Council president Mike McQuaid at a recent Seattle City Hall press conference announcing the initiative. "This program will help us all be more safe."

This year I'm encouraging each of you to help our transportation committee build on the South Lake Union/Uptown Mobility Plan as we partner with the City of Seattle and local organizations such as Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, South Lake Union Chamber of Commerce and others to facilitate this important conversation around mobility and safety in our community.

Please join me in bringing your ideas and concerns to the February 4th South Lake Union Community Council meeting at MOHAI. Or, if you would like to be further involved with improving safety and a part of the transportation dialogue in our neighborhood, please e-mail me today.

See you in the neighborhood!

Robbie Phillips Transportation Committee Chair, South Lake Union Community Council robbiekphillips@gmail.com

Next Meeting

WHAT: South Lake Union Community Council Monthly Meeting

DATE: Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2013

TIME: 4 p.m. – 6 p.m

WHERE: Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) 860 Terry Ave. North, Seattle, WA  98109

GETTING THERE: Walk, pedal or ride the Seattle Streetcar to the Lake Union Park stop. Public parking available through City of Seattle paid street-side parking.

MORE INFO: www.SLUCommunityCouncil.org

Be Super Safe in SLU!

Join us September 12th at 5:30 p.m. at the South Lake Union Discovery Center to help kick off SLU's exciting Look Out for Each Other street safety campaign.

On an average day on the streets of Seattle there are 33 collisions involving people walking, biking, or driving. These crashes snarl traffic and create real headaches for everyone. Crashes are costly, requiring a significant use of public resources. But the biggest impact is on the crash victims—their families, health care costs, lost wages, increased insurance premiums.

And yet, 90% of these collisions are preventable. By whom? By all of us— if we would simply Look Out for Each Other. By taking personal responsibility for our preventable behaviors like speeding, moving about while distracted and operating bicycles and cars and scooters while impaired, we would reduce the risk to ourselves and one another. The city's 2012 Road Safety Summit Action Plan is moving into Seattle neighborhoods through the Be Super Safe public awareness campaign—South Lake Union is leading the safety parade!

"Growth is coming so fast in South Lake Union—the Community Council is committed to guiding development of this neighborhood to create a liveable, sustainable and safe community for all of us to enjoy, whether as employees, residents or visitors," notes South Lake Union Community Council board member Robbie Phillips.  "However we choose to move about in the South Lake Union neighborhood—whether on foot, pedaling a bike, riding the streetcar or driving a car—we must be thoughtful and predictable in our behaviors."

The Be Super Safe Road Safety Forum kicks off its citywide tour on September 12 at the Discovery Center with interactive presentations to raise awareness about what's happening on our city streets, including information about new roadway features like bicycle boxes, collisions in our neighborhood, and the top safety tips for all modes of transportation. This is the information you need to know to Be Super Safe on our street.

"Road safety is a significant public health issue and has been a priority of my administration," notes Mayor Mike McGinn. "Too many families are impacted every year by collisions that are entirely preventable. I encourage people to come out and learn about what you can do that will be most effective in reducing fatalities and serious injuries on our streets, whether you choose to travel on foot, by bike, by transit, or by car."

Since we all have a right to use our streets and sidewalks safely, no matter how we choose to get around, it's time we start looking out for one another – building a culture of empathy. The father pushing the stroller across Westlake might be your co-worker; the young woman biking to her Cornish dorm room on 7th Avenue could be your daughter or sister; and the couple driving home to Capitol Hill might be you and your partner. If you knew these folks personally, you would surely give them a safe distance to cross, turn or pass. Well, guess what? You do know them, because they could be you!

Let's learn to Look Out for Each Other in the coming South Lake Union Be Super Safe presentation on September 12 at the Discovery Center and show the City once again that SLU leads the way in livability!

Be Super Safe: www.seattle.gov/besupersafe

For more information, click here.

The Road to Two-Way Mercer Street

As neighbors in the South Lake Union community know well, the Seattle Department of Transportation’s Mercer Corridor Project has been under major construction since mid-2010. Coming in late summer or early fall of 2012, this major roadway improvement project will reach a huge milestone: the opening of two-way traffic on Mercer Street between Fairview Avenue N and Dexter Avenue N. A tremendous amount of construction work and coordination has been completed in preparation for this milestone. Major roadway and utility improvements have been completed already, including the replacement of a nearly 100-year old line beneath 9th Avenue N, extensive undergrounding of electrical utility lines, water system and storm drain system replacements, and the construction of the new lanes of Mercer Street north of the original lanes, along with sidewalks along the north side of Mercer Street.

Crews are currently working to complete construction of underground utilities and then rebuild the old lanes of Mercer Street in preparation for two-way traffic. Once the two-way traffic section of Mercer Street is open, drivers exiting I-5 will have the option to continue straight westbound and avoid existing circuitous one-way routing onto Fairview Avenue N and Valley Street. Route maps for vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians will be provided prior to this major traffic change.

Mercer construction

In addition to traffic flow changes, travelers through the area will continue to see other improvements between today and project completion of the east phase of construction in mid-2013. The Mercer Corridor Project incorporates improved signal timing, new pavement and sidewalks, as well as other innovative design and construction methods that have earned the project the highest score of any “Greenroads” pilot project, which is a certification process similar to LEED certification for buildings.

For a preview of what comes after two-way Mercer Street milestone, check out Stages 3 and 4 of the project schedule. Work on the west phase of the project, between 9th Avenue N and Elliott Avenue W, is planned to begin in 2013. For questions about the Mercer Corridor Project construction, contact the project team at mercerinfo@seattle.gov or 206-419-5818.