The West Seattle Bridge closure has been a challenge for everyone, and limiting the Spokane Street low bridge to traffic and freight was a good first step. But after three weeks of automated camera enforcement on the low bridge, the data shows drivers are using the bridge at a fraction of its capacity.

Many residents have been dutifully bicycling and riding transit for our commutes at peak weekday hours (when we can't work from home). We're proud to be contributing less to greenhouse gas emissions and keeping the road clear for freight, transit, and emergency vehicles at the busiest times of day.

But we still need to drive for other trips besides commuting, such as healthcare appointments and visiting family. These trips often occur outside peak hours.

Prior to automated camera enforcement, when SPD officers enforced bridge access, many people timed their off-peak trips to when SPD officers were not deployed. Despite the restriction officially lifting at 9pm, many people knew that SPD was usually gone by 6pm and never posted on Saturdays and Sundays. During these times, people freely drove over the low bridge and rarely encountered any traffic backup, despite SDOT's worries about capacity. This helped keep travel times reasonable and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Based on the evidence, we petition for the following. REVISE automated camera enforcement times to allow open traffic 6:30pm-6:30am, and turn off the cameras entirely on weekends and holidays. The current 9pm-5am time extends absurdly far outside of peak hours and is irrelevant for the daily needs of most West Seattle residents and employees.

An alternative or add-on is to EXEMPT the registered vehicles of residents who live near the Spokane Street bridge during the "shoulder hours" of 6:30pm-9 and 5am-6:30, and on weekends and holidays. One might define "near" to be all areas north of SW Manning Street, SW Genesee Street, or SW Brandon Street, for example (further analysis would be required). This action would benefit the northern West Seattle community that is most directly impacted by the bridge closure.

If the time change doesn't work, consider it a first test, and try something else. There is no harm is testing revised times for a month or two, and then making adjustments based on the results. We can't really know what works until we try. Thank you for your efforts to reconnect West Seattle.