A large, white City of Redmond Public Notice Sign is installed by the tennis courts on 166th announcing the Rechannelization of 166th AVE NE. The city plans to restripe the lanes from four lanes to three lanes and add bicycle lanes. The Notice Board states:
"Resident Comments Needed on Safety Improvements from NE 85th to 100th Streets."
The public meeting will be held on Monday, October 28th, 5-7PM at the Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center on 16600 NE 80th Street.
"Resident Comments Needed on Safety Improvements from NE 85th to 100th Streets."
The public meeting will be held on Monday, October 28th, 5-7PM at the Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center on 16600 NE 80th Street.
4 comments:
I can see two areas for safety with this new merger from 4 to 3 lanes:
1) More drivers will get out of their cars at the 100th & 166th intersection to push the traffic light button. This is not good practice but drivers are doing it just so they can get out onto 166th from 100th. The city needs to install a camera-sensor on this light to change it for oncoming traffic on 100th.
2) Some cars will be tempted to use the middle lane to pass slower moving traffic.
I don't think more drivers would push the button at 100th. It's already basically three lanes there. The true center lane may actually make it easier to turn from 100th, because it would be a little easier to enter the center lane, then stop and wait for a gap in souttbound raffc
From Bob "Some cars will be tempted to use the middle lane to pass slower moving traffic."
I would add: "...or avoid sliding into a car when driving downhill... or attempt to get some traction up the hill in slick weather."
I think enough "damage" has been done to 166...I think we need to leave it be and not complicate it further.
While I would like to attend the public meeting, I'm afraid that it will be mostly a "bicycle vs auto" debate and I'm not up for that topic. I've noticed that issue has become terribly vicious in Redmond lately.
--GardenMom
I'm in support of the 166th rechannelization for these reasons:
1. I often bike to work along 166th. Travelling downhill with traffic isn't too bad as long as you keep up. Going uphill is extremely dangerous.
2. I haven't noticed any worse traffic in the section that's already been rechannelized in front of the RJHS compared to the downhill section that's under consideration.
3. Insofar as one might worry that moving from 2 lanes in each direction to 1 would reduce overall capacity and increase travel time for neighborhood residents, my belief is that traffic along the 166th corridor is highly elastic and dependent on cut-through commuter traffic of neighborhoods far to the north trying to avoid Avondale traffic. Any reduction in throughput will encourage cut-through commuters to switch back to Avondale.
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