Top Things to Know & Do
- SDOT and SPD will continue to enforce the 20 mph school zones where meals continue to be served to students. This was requested by Disability Rights Washington and Transportation Choices Coalition (and I'm sure others).
- SDOT has retimed traffic signals in downtown to give more time to pedestrians and a little less to drivers, reflecting the fewer vehicle traffic volumes and need for social distancing.
- SDOT opened two segments of streets to pedestrians last weekend, and intends to open a total of 15 miles as part of a "Stay Healthy Streets" initiative. With other cities leading the way, many walking and bicycling advocates in Seattle had called for a similar "open streets" initiative to (A) provide enough space for people to escape crowded sidewalks and maintain six feet and (B) recreate outside of crowded parks.
So far the initiative is focused on "neighborhood greenway" / "summer parkways" style open streets. Hopefully SDOT will soon also prioritize streets adjacent to crowded parks like Green Lake Park and Alki Beach, and streets in dense neighborhoods, like Pike Street in Capitol Hill and along Rainier Avenue's outside lanes.
SDOT and Mayor Durkan should be applauded for moving this needed effort forward.
- Following Seattle's lead, the City of Edmonds is also opening its waterfront road to walkers.
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