Kitsap County, Washington, is facing a significant road safety crisis. The lack of consistent enforcement of traffic laws, including speed limits and regulations regarding excessive vehicle noise, has created a chaotic and dangerous environment for residents and commuters alike, particularly on Beach Drive East in Port Orchard. Speeding and reckless driving have become rampant issues in the vicinity, posing a serious threat to public safety.

Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicate that speeding is a contributing factor in nearly 9,500 traffic deaths each year across the United States (NHTSA, 2018). Locally, residents of Kitsap County have increasingly reported incidents of excessive speeding and reckless driving, further underlining the urgency of addressing this concern. Traffic studies have shown that speed cameras can effectively reduce speeding by as much as 30% (IIHS, 2020), while speed bumps have been proven to not only slow down vehicles but also reduce noise pollution caused by loud exhaust systems.

By implementing comprehensive traffic enforcement strategies, including the installation of speed cameras and speed bumps along critical thoroughfares like Beach Drive East in Port Orchard, we can enhance safety, reduce noise pollution, and deter reckless behavior. These measures will help ensure that our roads are secure for all users, from pedestrians to drivers.

We are calling on the Kitsap County authorities and Washington state government to take immediate action by enforcing existing traffic laws more rigorously and introducing physical deterrents to prevent dangerous driving conduct. Your voice matters in making our community a safer place. We urge you to sign this petition to show your support for a safer and more peaceful Kitsap County.

PLEASE CONTACT COMMISSIONER ORANGE ROOT AND COMPLAIN AT PH 360-337-7080, email ORoot@kitsap.gov

Side note WA SB 5890-2025-26 addresses some of this issue, but does not fund the enforcement. We need boots on the ground. Please support WA SB 5890-2025-26

The following is a Beach Drive East study written by a concerned resident, I could not attach the photos in the study.

 

This proposal to improve safety for motorists and vulnerable

users on Beach Drive provides context relating to County

planning, survey data, accident data, and photo examples of

dangerous sections of Beach Drive. Included are potential solutions for consideration to prioritize safety improvements

by Amy Lawrence 

Kitsap’s Beach Drive:

A Residential Street with hundreds of private driveways and a premier bicycle route . . .

 

. . .  yet, also a danger for all users.

 

The Mosquito Fleet Trail Master Plan

Prepared for Kitsap County Department of Public Works, August 2001

 

Project 9 of 10:  Port Orchard to Manchester - Beach Drive

The Beach Drive segment of the Mosquito Fleet trail is the jewel of Kitsap County - a lovely, level waterfront with minimal development on the water side of the road.  None of the shared use paths or bike lanes proposed in the plan for Beach Drive have been built since the plan was adopted over 20 years ago, even though Beach Drive was the second highest priority ranking out of 38 segments. 

Regrettably, the road lacks paved shoulders where they are most needed on curves.  Many residents, some who are disabled, have to cross the road to reach their mailbox, yet it is hazardous to walk along Beach Drive.  Speeding is common on this mostly residential road which is designated a minor arterial.

This Presentation will examine what can be done to make Beach Drive safer.

Current Kitsap County Comprehensive Plan Transportation

"Goal #5: Provide opportunities for people to make choices among alternative modes of travel with an emphasis on moving people rather than vehicles and maximize opportunities for non-motorized travel."

Current Non-Motorized Facility Plan Route/Project Prioritization.

Beach Drive meets all of the following Criteria for High Priority

•      Connectivity (Efficient, Links to Ferries, route to Manchester Park)

•      Safety (Address high hazard bicycle areas, Consider Traffic Demand

Management Techniques such as reducing speed on primary bike routes)

•      Feasibility (Low cost of slowing speed limit)

•      Potential Use (High Scenic/View Value)

•      Continuity (Improves deficient segment of Mosquito Fleet Trail)

•      In the past 10 years there have been over 100 collisions on Beach Drive. A handful involved bike users and pedestrians, with some serious injuries.

•      Accidents doubled in the last three years on the northern segment of Beach Drive where the road curves significantly and sight distance is minimal.

 

 

 

There is no shoulder for bike users or pedestrians on this blind curve.

 

Survey of Residents

Beach Drive Safety

•Amy and David Lawrence posted a notice to residents on Beach Drive near the Waterman Dock requesting they complete an online survey.  We received 170 responses over the course of one month.

•Two thirds of respondents were pedestrians, most of whom live on Beach Drive.  One third were motorists who regularly drive the road.

•Most complaints relate to speeding motorists, lack of enforcement of the existing speed limit, and inadequate space on the road for non-motorized users.  A few motorists complained that residents (as pedestrians) and cyclists should not use the road because it is not designed for their use.

•Suggestions for safety improvements mostly consist of adding speed tables to slow cars, better traffic enforcement of speed limits, and widening the road (not the traffic lane) to include a paved shoulder for use by cyclists and pedestrians.

Discussion of Safety Improvements

1. Make Lanes Narrower Where Possible.

•   Narrowing lanes from 11 to 10 feet reduces collisions and injuries.

•   Any additional paved shoulder resulting from lane narrowing helps decrease the stress of non-motorized road users and gives them a marginally safer place to be.

•   Shoulders should be paved to the greatest extent possible, especially in curved places with limited visibility.

2.      Better Speed Enforcement

Due to patrol staffing and other priorities, Beach Drive residents have been told that regular enforcement is difficult.

The County Sheriff’s Traffic Officer addressed the January 2023 NonMotorized Committee and stated that traffic enforcement is a low priority. The Sheriff’s staff are very busy.  Sgt. Aman stated only one officer is available to directly pursue speeding violations.

This, despite increasing traffic fatalities, and that average traffic speeds have increased in recent years.

3.      Reduce the Speed Limit

Higher speeds increase a driver’s reaction time & braking distance and significantly increases risk of death of pedestrians and cyclists.

When drivers face unpredictable, urgent reasons to stop, their speed can make the difference between life

 

Source:  https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/beSuperSafe/VZ_FAQ_Flyer.pdf

Kitsap County conducted a traffic study at Waterman Pier 11am

March 30 to 11am April 4, 2023

There were 6451 vehicles counted during the 4 day study. 3% were speeding at a rate that has a 90% chance of killing a pedestrian at the Pier.

Speed Range
# of vehicles
% of total
5-24 mph
591
9.16%
25-29 mph
1966
30.48%
30-34 mph
2748
42.60%
35-39 mph
968
15.01%
40-44 mph
145
2.25%
45-49 mph
24
.37%
50-54 mph
3
.05%
55-59 mph
4
.06%
80-99 mph
2
.03%
Total
6451
100%
•     The speed limit on Beach Drive is generally 35 mph, changing to 25 mph in the area of Waterman Pier and Manchester.  Yellow speed advisory signs appear at many curves suggesting slowing to 20 or 30 mph.  There are 24 speed sign changes on this 5-mile stretch, if you include advisory signage.

•     Reducing the speed limit to 25 or 30 mph for the entire stretch may:

•     Result in lower speeds overall (but the design of the roadway is what usually determines how fast motorists go).

•     Reduce noise from motorists speeding up at signs where the speed limit increases.

•     Encourage speeding drivers concerned about “saving time” to take alternate routes.

•     Decrease collisions and injuries.

•     Make the roadway eligible for traffic calming measures –such as speed tables, possibly the most important benefit.

Kitsap County uses the 85th percentile method to determine speed limits for drivers.  The faster driver’s average speed, the higher the speed limit is set.  This may be an acceptable method of determining safe speeds for motorists, but doesn’t take into consideration other users of the road, like elderly residents or bike users.

All road users need to be considered when designing or upgrading road infrastructure. The design of road infrastructure and the broader street environment should start with the needs of the most vulnerable users and then progress through to the safety needs of the least vulnerable.

“Moving past the business-as-usual approach also means evolving beyond the cars-first attitude that has dominated transportation policies and practices in the past half-century.”

Safe System Elements from the World Road Association

A UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020 has been announced with an ambitious global target and plan to reduce deaths in road traffic crashes.

An excellent document found on the Kitsap County Website

Reducing Speed Limits:

A Practical Approach to Creating Safer, More Welcoming Roads for Non-motorized Transportation in Kitsap County

Work has been done in this document to apply policy of Safe System Elements in Kitsap County.

https://www.kitsapgov.com/pw/Documents/Reducing%20Traffic%2 0Speed%20Through%20Safe%20Systems%20Road%20Design%

20(1).pdf

USDOT FY23 Safe Streets and Roads for All Funding

The program provides funding to develop tools to strengthen a community’s approach to roadway safety and save lives and prevent serious harm.

Provides support planning, infrastructure, behavioral, and operational initiatives to prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets involving all roadway users, including pedestrians; bicyclists; public transportation, personal conveyance, and micromobility users; motorists; and commercial vehicle operators.

Planning and Demonstration Grants are for comprehensive safety action plans, including supplemental safety planning, and/or safety demonstration activities. Implementation grants can be applied for in subsequent funding cycles.

Grant Applications must be submitted by

5:00 PM EDT on Monday, July 10, 2023

4.      Signage

Beach Drive has no signage to inform drivers that it is a popular bike route, or that pedestrians (residents) may be walking their neighborhood or collecting mail and have no paved shoulder to get out of the way of cars. 

This sign on Southworth Drive in Port Orchard is also the site of a sign that shows drivers their speed.  Such signs would be useful on Beach Drive to inform drivers when they exceed the speed limit, and give notice that other more vulnerable users have a right to be on the roadway.

5.      Traffic Calming

Traffic calming measures are addressed in the Kitsap County Road

Standards. Speed tables or speed cushions could be considered for Beach Drive before and after significant curves where accidents are most likely to occur. They raise the height of the roadway for a short distance and are much longer than a speed hump.  If driven over at designated speeds the bump may be no more than what is felt driving into a driveway from a city street.  If crossed faster than the designated speed, the “bump” is more severe.

If the speed table were to be shorter in width (speed cushion), emergency vehicles and buses could straddle the table, but cars could not.

There are few traffic calming alternatives to speed tables for Beach Drive.  This is due to the lack of space for measures such as islands, traffic circles, etc. Speed bumps are also not a popular option due to noise caused when vehicles must almost completely stop so they result in racing up to them and racing after them.

Effective speed tables can be found on Harlow Drive near Kitsap Way Elementary School and on Tracyton Beach Road near Silverdale. Tracyton is also categorized as a minor arterial in the location of speed tables.

Installing speed tables on Beach Drive before and after the 3 major curved, dangerous sections could help slow motorists.

Shows

location of proposed speed tables

Example of Rubber Speed Tables

Pricing:

$2500 for a 21 ft table (30 mph speed)

$2000 for a 17.5 ft table (25 mph speed)

Total for 3 hazard areas on Beach Drive = ~$30K

Results of Speed Tables

(US. Dept of Transportation Federal Highway Administration)

•       The speed reductions ranged from 5.9 to 14.5 mph, with an average reduction of 9.1 mph. The before 85th percentile speeds ranged from 35.5 to 47.0 mph, with an average of 38.2 mph. The after 85th percentile speeds ranged from 25.9 to 34.1 mph, with an average of 29.1 mph.

•       For the study sites, 27 percent of the preimplementation traffic had a measured speed that was at least 10 mph higher than the posted speed limit. After installation of a speed table, this high-speed traffic had dropped to an average of 3 percent of the total traffic.

•       The average reduction in the reported daily volumes is 20 percent

Google Maps shows that Beach Drive is not the most direct route from Port Orchard to Manchester

Currently, Avg speed is

28.5mph

If speed limit were 25mhp entire stretch, trip would be 13.68 minutes vs 12 minutes

Is a minute and a half worth saving a life?

6. Beach Drive, categorized as Urban Minor Arterial

needs approval to amend Traffic Calming criteria

•       Beach Drive is not the most direct route between communities or businesses.

•       Much of Beach Drive is curvy without paved shoulders, where vehicles routinely exceed safe speeds.

•       Literally hundreds of resident’s driveways face onto Beach Drive, but there are essentially no commercial establishments.

•       It has high pedestrian activity due to adjacent homes, and high bicycle activity due to its scenery and flat elevation, known throughout the state as a destination cycling location.

Traffic Calming Program Section 9 of Kitsap

County Road Standards Needing Amendment

As Beach Drive is not a normal minor arterial, Criteria changes need to be approved by the County Commissioners. The fact that there is not sufficient separation for safe passage of non-motorized users and it is residential road are the reasons for this request. However, the County should consider adopting Safe Element Systems for Speed control across all County Roadways.

9.2 Eligible Roadways Needing Revision

9.2.2                States “the road must be a local access road as defined herein.” As Beach Drive is a minor arterial, this restriction should be removed.

9.2.3                The eligibility criteria that a road must have a speed limit of 30 mph or lower, should be removed,

OR,

Beach Drive speed limit can be reduced to 30 mph

9.3 Qualifying Criteria Needing Revision

9.3.1 Criteria that 25% of the existing traffic must be traveling at least 10-mph over the posted speed limit should be amended to read “speed study data should be reviewed to determine if speeds are excessive for all road users”. Using arbitrary percentages do not factor in the number of speeders who are traveling at much higher speeds than 10 mph over the speed limit.

9.3.3 At least 70% of the affected property owners (one vote per property) must support speed countermeasure installation. Again, arbitrary percentages should not be used. Having neighbors work with the County on acceptable solutions is key, not just asking homes to “vote”. Even determining exactly who should have the right to vote is problematic. Safety should not be based on a vote.

Call to Action

•             Beach Drive Needs 8 foot shoulders for Nonmotorized users from Olney to Manchester.

•             The County should apply for Planning Grant through

SS4A by July 10th to assist them in this endeavor

Or at least

•        Revise Road Policy to reflect the safety of all Road Users, i.e., Safe System Approach.

•        Reduce speed Limit to 25 mph the entire stretch of Beach Drive

•        Speed Tables need to be considered by residents to slow vehicles to speed limit

•        Signage should inform motorists that they share the road with cyclists and pedestrians, “vulnerable users”, who have equal rights regarding the safe use of the roadway. Also change sign at Bike alert to always flash or remove “When Flashing” from sign

Appendix

A selection of Beach Drive photos

Beach Drive east of Olney, 1st mile segment

Marginal but useful 2 ft paved shoulders

 

First curve east of Olney

The speed limit sign says 35 mph, a sign advises the safe speed is 30 mph. 

There are no paved shoulders on Beach Drive at curves.

Potential site of Speed Tables.

 

The other side of the curve - no paved shoulders.

 

Mailboxes are all on one side of the road.  This section requires residents on the water side to cross the road to collect their mail. Potential Site of Speed Tables.

Near E. Hillcrest Ave:  There is a 35 mph speed limit around this curve - no paved shoulder

 

Waterman Pier

Cars parked at Waterman Pier need to back into the roadway to exit. Potential site of Speed

Tables at beginning and end of current 25mph.

 

East of Woods Road, a bike alert signal precedes the curves.  A safe speed sign advises 20 mph. Potential Site of Speed Tables.

The flashing light does not work reliably in cloudy conditions.  Perhaps eliminating the words “WHEN FLASHING” would be safer.

Curve east of Lighthouse Point

 

View from around curve - no paved shoulder.

 

Wynn Jones area

 

Start of Straight road before Manchester State Park.

Potential site for last set of Speed Tables

 

Heading south to Manchester near the Navy fuel Depot - there is a narrow paved shoulder that could easily be made wider.