·       35th Ave SW is the primary north-south ARTERIAL in West Seattle.

·       This is the primary transit corridor for both private vehicles and metro buses through West Seattle to the primary exit from the neighborhood, the West Seattle Bridge.

·       35th Ave SW channels approximately 24,600 motor vehicles per day (at SW Alaska).

·       This motor vehicular volume is approximately 7,000 more per day than the other north-south roadways. 

·       This volume will likely increase with the new construction and housing/condominium projects in West Seattle.

·       To accommodate the traffic volume, 35th Ave SW has been a 4-lane road for over 10 years.

·       Adjacent land uses include multiple family homes, single family residences and commercial use. 

·       The only schools located on 35th are within one block and include a Montessori Preschool and private religious elementary schools.

 ·       Under the guise of “safety” SDOT proposes to reduce the speed limit from 35 to 30 mph, and reduce number of lanes from 4 to 3.

·       Experience with “re-channeling” Delridge, a 2 lane road with considerable less volume than 35th Ave SW, shows that traffic is negatively impacted.

·       Therefore, such a reduction in speed and reduction in lanes will cause an increase in traffic (i.e. bottleneck) and time delays, especially given the bus routes (both metro and school).  SDOT acknowledges a 3-4 minute increase in the time to travel the corridor.

·       We believe that the current speed limit and lane numbers are appropriate for this high-volume corridor.

·       We are concerned that this slow-down will tempt drivers to shift their commute to other, narrower, non-arterial side streets.

·       If the primary concern is pedestrian safety then we believe there are more appropriate options, including the following possibilities:

o   Move the Bus stops to mid-block so that a traffic lane is not blocked when a left-turn lane is required.

o   Add marked crosswalks at all intersections; major crosswalks should have flashing lights overhead or embedded in the street on either side of the crosswalk.

o   Add additional lighted crosswalks.

o   Add traffic cameras/speed traps.

 ·   Furthermore, SDOT data shows that this is a “problem” that doesn’t need to be fixed:

City-wide data:

o   The population has increased 14% (2004-2013)

o   Average daily traffic is trending lower; down 8% from 2004-2013

o   Collisions have decreased 35% (2005-2013) and continue to show this downward trend.  The “collision rate” has dropped.

o   Collisions due to speed have slightly declined, whereas collisions due to distractions [not addressed by SDOT’s proposals] “increased substantially.”

o   Serious and fatal collisions are trending lower

o   In 2013: One pedestrian fatality and one serious injury collision occurred on 35th Ave SW compared to one vehicular fatality and three serious injury collisions that occurred on Delridge.

o   Pedestrian-involved collisions per capita have fallen by one-fourth (2005-2013)

o   Not granting right-of-way to pedestrians [also not addressed by SDOT’s proposals] “continues to be the top contributor to crashes”

Data for the “corridor” – 35th Ave SW between Roxbury and Alaska

o   No bicycle collisions occurred on the corridor in 2013

o   Bicycle volume on the corridor is too low to be counted (<10)

o   Pedestrian volume on the corridor is too low to be indicated

o   The corridor has approximately 24,000 vehicles/day at the north end, which suggests a volume too high for it to be a candidate for a “road diet.”

 CONCLUSION:  SDOT has proposed two alternatives, A & B, for putting 35th on a “road diet” (refer to the SDOT website for details).  They have indicated in meetings that one of these two will be implemented, therefore “None of the above” is not a possibility.  Neither option is acceptable to us.  So the choice of “None” is what we seek.