LETTER: A solution to the traffic problem in Redmond

By Brent Schmaltz

I believe there is a solution to the traffic problem in Redmond. It involves widening Willows road to provide a bypass for users through Redmond. Each day Hwy 202 (Redmond–Woodinville Road) is jammed packed. Travelers that are simply going through Redmond have two choices to get to through. 202 or Willows. Both are single lane. 202 would be much more expensive to widen than Willows. Willows could easily be 4 lanes, with ample room for left and right turning lanes. In fact large parts of Willows are already 4 lanes. Read More >>
Hundreds and of new homes are being built on 202 and 116^th. The natural path for these folks is to travel along 202, hence the parking lot. If one examines the traffic on 202, it is bumper to bumper from Woodinville to almost Leary way. By providing relief for travelers to use Willows then 124^th to 202, this would reduce traffic through Redmond. 116^th could be improved to move travelers off of 124^th, but this would be tricky given the soccer fields. However, a couple of pedestrian overpasses could take care of issues.

The plan of record from the City of Redmond is to build a bike / walking path alongside Willows. Once this bike / walking path is completed, it will be very difficult to widen Willows.

The City of Redmond is on record supporting ‘Target Zero’ which is a high level strategic safety plan adopted by Washington State to reduce traffic injuries. One of the four pillars of this plan is:

Engineering: Use best practices to prevent or reduce the severity of collisions.

In addition to putting a bike / walking path alongside Willows reducing the possibility to dig out of the massive traffic jam in Redmond, it will not be engineered for safety.

There are over 8 major road crossings along the proposed Redmond Central Connector that will result in automobiles intersecting with users of the trail. Each crossing is very close to the trail. Willows is a 45 m.p.h. road with heavy use on the weekend for Soccer at 116th, Golf at Willows golf course, Overlake Church, Arena Sports, 90th and 95th each a busy street. During soccer and golf season 116^th and is bumper to bumper with cars entering and exiting from Willows. Redmond police have been used to control traffic. When cars are stopped at the lights on 116th, they will be in the middle of the trail.

In order to provide an enjoyable environment to encourage users of the trail, I assume it will have a boarder that screens the road. This will reduce the visibility of users of the trial to automobiles. Bicycles who commute, do so at night and in the rain. With the majority of accidents occurring when cars turn right, accidents are bound to happen.

Instead I suggest:

1.       Widen Willows

2.       Do not put the bike / walking trail alongside a 45 m.p.h. major arterial

3.       Provide access to Willows from Leary Way, perhaps rework Bear Creek Parkway and West Lake Sammamish

4.       Work with King County to improve both sides of the Sammamish River Trail where the is NO interaction with any automobiles

5.       Plan to improve 116^th so all the new residents can get home in time for dinner

I personally would rather walk along the river on a sunny day than a busy street.