SDOT has posted on their blog that they will move forward with rechannelizing NE 125th St:
After hearing from the public and conducting additional analysis, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has recommended to Mayor Mike McGinn that the city undertake a project to enhance safety along Northeast 125th Street by rechannelizing the roadway. Between Roosevelt Way Northeast and Northeast 28th Street, the road would have one travel lane in each direction, separated by a two-way left turn lane, and bicycle lanes on both sides of the street.
Personally, I am very happy to see this occur. We make a few trips by car to Lake City each week. The center turn lane will be very useful. I will drive with more ease when there are not drivers weaving between the lanes at 40 MPH on a hill.
I am very excited to hear that the NE 125th center turn lane project is moving forward. It will be a plus to drivers and to people who need to cross 125th.
Turn lane will be fantastic. Im always worried about getting rearend when I turn into our street. However, Hope some of those cancelled bus stops are on 125th as I would hate to get stuck behind a bus especially when it stops every 10 feet on 125th.
I like the idea of a turn lane and find myself looking in my rear view mirror when making a left onto 20th Ave NE. Plus I frequently ride a bicycle between Lake City and Pinehurst and have never felt safe on 125th and have used less direct streets or the sidewalk. Will be great to try a bike lane.
Obviously, none of you live on any “through” residential streets between I-5/Northgate/15th NE/Lake City Way. There are other ways to make 125th safer for bikes. Garth? I applaud your insistence on taking 125th … but it IS legal to ride on the sidewalks. Try that … or try 115th. A much safer route, if steeper westbound off of Lake City.
Glad you all live in Pinehurst — I’m betting south of Northgate, right? — and don’t need to deal with the riff raff in Lake City.
Signed,
I pay taxes too … and plenty
Wanda –
This is not about bikes. It is about safety for pedestrians and driver – and cyclists. The speed limit on NE 125th is 30 mph. Unfortunately, even after many years of police ticketing speeders, most people drive 40 and many drive 50 or 60 mph. There is clearly not a congestion problem and we need to do something not before more people are hurt and killed.
This policy makes no sense. The city declares Lake City a “high density” area and hundreds more apartments and condos are being build as I type just off Lake City south of Fred Meyer. Now, in this new high density area, let’s cut the road size in half?
This is an important stretch to get to and from I5. I have never even seen a bike on 125th and have lived in this area for 15 years.
If safety is an issue – perhaps the police should radar the hill, put in speed bumps, have a cross walk with flashing lights, etc.
To say to a Seattle citizen that you will live in a more dense environment with less road access is short sited.
Hey, if we take I5 down to one lane you could probably get less accidents as well.
Comments on a couple of those suggestions:
As Pinehurst Mom noted, they have put police there and it didn’t help and it’s not a long term solution. Speeds revert as soon as people notice they’re gone. They’ve been attempting that for years
Second, I don’t think they’re legally allowed to put speed bumps on an arterial like that based on federal road guidelines. I could be wrong. It might be small enough. But there are entire books dedicated to those rules and it gets quite complicated.
And as for cross walks with the lights, that’s WELL outside the city’s budget right now and would take away from other projects. They’d need a couple of them and they cost at least a couple hundred thousand each plus quite a bit of maintenance, especially if they’re the type they did on Lake City. The city refuses to build more of those types as I understand it because they’re so expensive to maintain. This project just involves paint.
I’m also a fan of the turn lane piece as that’s where I see most of the backups and crazy swerving around cars at high speeds.
It would be interesting to see that the budget is for this project. Going to two lanes and turn lanes just using paint? Never seen that before.
Thanks for the comments.
I have thought of a new idea – curious on folks thoughts. We all know how the cameras at intersections has been effective at stopping folks running red lights. Why not install radar guns with cameras at strategic points on 125th. This would do a couple things.
– slow folks down
– collect money to fund project
– not impede traffic flow.
Thoughts?