March 30

Public meeting tonight on Banner Way safety

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Thanks to Thor for emailing:

Today I got a mailer about a meeting tomorrow about safety improvements to Banner Way. It’s at the Fairview Church at 844 N.E. 78th St. from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Maybe it’s worth a post?

Seems like it should be. (Banner Way is the street in Maple Leaf that in part parallels  Interstate 5 on our western border.)

Little hard to say, though. Here’s the  link, the meeting is tonight.

Here’s the (gist of) the text from SDOT:

Following the collaborative work with the community for the NE 75th Street project, we’re continuing this work through Banner Way NE to implement the Pedestrian Master Plan and Bicycle Master Plan. We are committed to building a transportation infrastructure that supports a safe and vibrant community.

We’ll work with the community to consider changes to this street in an effort to bring down speeds and make the roadway safer for neighbors and all travelers, as part of our Vision Zero plan to end traffic deaths and serious injuries on Seattle’s streets by 2030.

Together, we will determine the specific nature and design elements of these changes through the process described below. New safety measures may include, but not be limited to: signage improvements, arterial traffic calming, roadway design changes, traffic signal modifications, pavement repair, and safety enhancements for people walking and biking.

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Sara W

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  1. I attended the SDOT meeting about Banner Way NE last night (nice to have one hours notice, I saw it announced on NextDoor). Any changes to the 5th Ave NE and Banner Way NE intersection are a non-starter! SDOT’s solution is (of course) bike lanes on Banner Way NE. I have contacted SDOT many times about putting a light at 5th Ave NE and Banner Way NE and have received a number of excuses as to why it can’t be done. The reason they gave last night is that it’s a Wash DOT right of way because of the bridge over I-5, and it’s too expensive.

    One of the biggest concerns raised last night is the speed, number of accidents and near misses on Banner Way NE, especially east-bound which I totally understand. Included in that is the harrowing experience of being a pedestrian crossing the street at the I-5 southbound entrance.

    After mulling over the discussion last night here are some ideas I have:
    1. Put a radar speed limit sign on Banner Way NE, one that flashes the car’s speed and the posted speed limit. There is one of these on southbound 15th Ave NE around NE 90th Street (somewhere around there), and I think it does slow down traffic.
    2. Somehow improve the merging process east of the Banner Way NE and 5th Ave NE intersection. People drive way too fast once they get past the four way stop.
    3. Improve signage for pedestrians (not hard, since there isn’t any now) at the southbound I-5 entrance. Actually mark the crosswalk, and then have one of the push button cross walk signals that starts flashing yellow lights so it’s way more obvious that people are crossing that street. Examples of this are on Lake City Way NE (just north of NE 125th Street) and on 15th Ave NE in the U-District).
    4. If they can’t put in a light at 5th Ave NE and Banner Way then try a round-about/traffic circle. That way at least you eliminate the crazy left-turns at that intersection. Done right, these can really help keep traffic moving.

    None of these ideas help people that are putting their lives at risk by trying to walk or bike through the 5th Ave NE and Banner Way NE intersection. I think the only way to address this problem is to put in a traffic light at that intersection.

    I’d really encourage as many concerned neighbors as possible to get their voices heard! The website SDOT gave last night is: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/bannerwayne.htm

  2. To Johnny 5’s point about avoiding the Banner Way/5th Ave NE intersection; lots of people avoid that intersection and they end up bombing up NE 79th St or down 8th Ave NE way more aggressively than they should for a residential neighborhood. Hopefully we can fix the bottleneck at the 4-way stop sign and make our residential roads safe again.

  3. then again, traffic that is calmed to the point of not moving is no longer actually “traffic”…Rather, it is more accurately termed “parking”.

  4. By the way, how about making a change at 80th and Banner: On the I-5 overpass make the left eastbound lane get on the freeway (or return to 85th?) only , change the right lane to a through on 80th and a right turn to Banner? It might actually alleviate the eastbound traffic bottleneck over the freeway. Of course traffic that is calmed to the point of not moving is the safest.

  5. How about a traffic circle at 5th and Banner? The bike lanes have slowed things to a crawl there. Same with the road diet and bike lanes at Roosevelt and Northgate Way. If traffic does not move, apparently that is the safest alternative.

  6. Good to see some visibility for this stretch. The intersection at Banner Way and 5th is screaming for a traffic light addition – I actively avoid the intersection due to impatient, aggressive drivers who can’t wait their turn at the 4 way stop.

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