Saturday, February 2, 2008
COMMUNITY MEETING ON February 7th: Do you want 3 lanes on 166th Ave NE??
You are invited...
166 Avenue NE Corridor Improvements - Community meeting!
P U B L I C W O R K S
T R A N S P O R T A T I O N S E R V I C E S ANNOUNCEMENT
Thursday, February 7, 2008 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Redmond Junior High, Commons area.
6:30 to 7:00 Sign in and look at displays
7:00 to 8:00 Welcoming address from Mayor Marchione
Question and Answer Open Forum 8:00 to 8:30
City staff will be available to answer individual questions
LIGHT SNACKS WILL BE PROVIDED
A new traffic signal will be constructed at the intersection of 166 Avenue NE and NE 104 Street, funded by a Federal Safe Routes to School grant. Why is the City installing a traffic signal on 166 Avenue NE at NE 104 Street? The primary reason is to improve pedestrian safety at the intersection where high volumes of young pedestrians walk to Redmond Junior High, Horace Mann and Norman Rockwell elementary schools. The traffic signal will more clearly assign right-of-way, eliminating confusion for drivers and pedestrians at the existing 4-way stop.
Why consider reconfiguring lanes at the intersection and along the school frontage from four lanes to three and adding bike lanes?
A safer travel environment is created when bike lanes are provided and when there are three lanes to cross instead of four. Conversions help moderate vehicular speed. Safety is improved for all roadway users—drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
What about the proposal to continue the conversion down the hill to NE 85 Street? The proposal to continue a four to three lane conversion south to NE 85 Street would implement the community’s vision to reclaim Redmond streets for all roadway users. A conversion will provide refuge areas for left-turning vehicles and create separation for pedestrians and bicyclists. www.redmond.gov/connectingredmond/projects/edhill.asp
Tricia Thomson, P.E. (Project Manager) email: tthomson@redmond.gov or phone: 425.556.2776
How can three lanes improve traffic flow and safety?
FOR DRIVERS:
• Sight distance improves. Drivers face only one thru lane in each direction instead of two.
• Center turn lane provides a refuge for drivers entering or exiting side streets.
• No delay behind left-turning vehicles when they are removed from the flow of thru traffic and given a dedicated left turn lane.
• Collisions are reduced. Drivers no longer weave and change lanes to avoid left-turning vehicles.
FOR PEDESTRIANS:
• Pedestrians are less exposed to traffic with three lanes to cross instead of four.
• Bike lanes provide a safer, more comfortable separation for pedestrians on the sidewalk from the flow of traffic.
FOR BICYCLISTS:
• Bike lanes provide bicyclists with their own lane of travel, separate from pedestrians and thru traffic.
• Bike lanes remove slower moving bicycles from thru traffic.
“Better connections within the community for all modes of travel are needed to tie neighborhoods and commercial areas together, improving efficiency and economic vitality while promoting continued high quality of life.”
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Thanks for your email. I have been fighting this change ever since their proposal. I can't get around as easy as i used to
ReplyDeletedo but I have been against this from the beginning. I believe the mayor and possible two council members are on [my] side. I suggested that the council force the planners to put the rubber car counters north of ne85th instead of using the previuos count taken south of ne85th.I called Trtcia Thompson this week asking a few questions about the upcoming meeting and about the count results north of ne 85th. She said she didn't have the information handy. We need to get as many people as possible to attend the meeting. I live on ne91stpl and it's a challenge now to turn south on 166th. I also complained to her about having to wait for a right or left hand turn out of the post office since they made that change. They are so set on making the change so they can but in the bicycle lanes. As Italked about the bicycle lanes to her, I suggested they should have someone observe the small amout of people trying to ride a bike up that hill. The ones you see walk the bike and only a few die hards with heavlyy geared special bikes even attempt that ride.
Art
So I get the percieved problems with making left turns, but as someone who grew up walking up that hill and also experienced one student a year hit by cars in junior high I have a hard time relating. You are talking about a very small period of time during the day in which that turn would be difficult.
ReplyDeletePeople drive way to fast going up and down 166th. They drive way to fast all ove the Hill. Education Hill is a neighborhood first - a place full of people walking and riding bikes.
Perhaps nobody rides up the hill because the sidewalk is four feet wide, there are no bike lanes and if you try and ride in traffic you are taking your life into your own hands.
The best thing people can do is actually walk the route for a week. I understand the previous poster has trouble getting around but for everyone else, it is the best way to see how frightening it is to have empty SUVs driving 40 mpd two feet from you.
I support this change. People that want to use the Hill as a freeway or shortcut need to find alternative routes.
Here is a Quote,
ReplyDelete"The best thing people can do is actually walk the route for a week. I understand the previous poster has trouble getting around but for everyone else, it is the best way to see how frightening it is to have empty SUVs driving 40 mpd two feet from you."
Please call the police and report this. Why don't we all pick one day a week and sit on the corner and call in all the bad drives and people speeding. Because it is clear the police don’t' see it as a problem because they are never up here. Please have your cell phone fully charged, because you are going to be calling in a lot of complaints.