What is the next step for the 16th SW Street Safety Plan and how can you make your voice heard before a decision is made?

By Tracy Record
Editor of White Center Now

King County Road Services expects to complete a plan for the 16th Avenue SW traffic safety project by the end of August.

That is what representatives of the province told us after last Wednesday’s meeting in the White Center Food Bank to re-explain the project and hear community feedback. If you weren’t there, you can still voice your opinion via the survey linked here , which will remain open until early August. One commenter asked for a one-week extension and county representatives said OK. The question is whether bike lanes should be included in the plan to remove two lanes on 16th between 100th and 107th.

The meeting was held at the request of the community and was moderated by a community advocate Kimnang Seng. First, here’s our video, which is in two parts, starting with the presentation and some questions and answers/comments sprinkled in between:

The second part consists entirely of questions and answers and reactions from the community:

Seng explained the reason for the meeting: people felt they had not been heard enough about the project, which was first announced two years ago (here’s our report on the Council of the Non-Affiliated Area North Highlinel meeting where we first heard about it). He said he and others started asking about it in May and that many felt like they didn’t know about it, particularly BIPOC community members, refugees, and panhandlers. (During the meeting, a WCFB representative said they had reached out to Road Services knowing they were moving into the area and were told the department would reach out as the design progressed, but that never happened.)

On behalf of King County Local Services, the parent department of Road Services, David Daw promised to try to resolve this, insisting: “We are here to listen… We are your city hall.”

Director of Roadside Assistance Tricia Davis said the project was rooted in the belief that “this area really needed to be safer for everyone.”

The province received subsidy money that limited the ‘options’ for its realization and also affected the timeline: they have to start construction of this project within a year or they lose the money.

While much has been made of whether or not the project will include bike lanes, Davis said they decided before this one, but they could reconsider, according to the county’s traffic engineer Wally Archuleta said the turn signals and curb lights are also important components. He emphasized that the area had a “pretty high” crash rate, which is a major reason the stretch was chosen for changes.

County officials also reiterated that the options would result in more parking spaces than the route currently has. Davis said they are aware of how “meaningful” parking is to businesses.

One attendee said she thought the road was already “great” and wondered if Road Services had counted the current number of pedestrians and cyclists and if they had studied the “results” of reroute projects on Ambaum in Burien and 35th SW in West Seattle. Overall, she thought the project was simply “a federal money grab.” That statement drew some applause.

Another participant questioned how the survey results would be used after he raised concerns about adequate parking for businesses. Davis clarified that the survey “is not a vote — it’s a measure of community input … an important piece of data,” though, she added, “so is this conversation.”

To alleviate concerns about parking, they showed the possible before and after scenarios, plus a slide showing how the number of parking spaces would change and how they would compare:

Both options would increase the number of on-street parking spaces, the province said, but the number of additional parking spaces would be smaller than the design options presented two years ago.

One of those present expressed concern about the “heavy emphasis on on-street parking,” as he said he counted more than 700 off-street parking spaces in the area.

Owner of White Center bike shop Aaron Goss noted that bike lanes would improve safety for more than just cyclists: “People who cycle make the world safer for everyone.” That drew applause.

Another business owner responded by saying he believed bike lanes would lead to “a lot of deaths” and noted that “nobody cycles on this road.” He too received applause.

The provincial delegation responded by saying that “road restrictions” had reduced the number of accidents “almost overnight.”

Another concern they tried to address was the cost of bike lanes, which they estimated would cost about $87,000 if they were to be built into this project.

More questions: Did Road Services consult with the King County Sheriff’s Office? Archuleta wasn’t sure if they contacted KCSO directly, but said they routinely work closely with them. Did they notice that the bike lanes along 16th wouldn’t directly connect to others? Davis responded by saying that 107th, on the south side of the project zone, is an east-west bike route, that there’s a narrowed street on the north side that connects, and that would be a springboard for expanding the bike lane network — along the lines of “if you build it, they will come.”

That did not impress the next commenter, who suggested that “lofty goals” are being pursued over “everyday life” and that sidewalks in areas without sidewalks would be more beneficial than losing traffic lanes.

Are trees being planted? asked another attendee. Davis said no. The attendee said that’s bad news for White Center, which already has too few trees. However, county officials said, they now have an urban forester to consult with. Also, Daw added, a “beautification survey” of White Center is set to begin next month.

A representative of the Khmer community reiterated the request for more trees. She also said that the previous project research had not reached her community and that she believes lane reductions would reduce safety, not improve it.

What about the cultural impact of bike lanes and the dynamics of gentrification? someone else asked. Davis said they are aware that gentrification is a concern, but right now “the number one thing they are thinking about is … safety.” The attendee responded that “economic safety and cultural safety” should also be considered.

How about turning 17th into a greenway and directing bike traffic there? another participant suggested. Then came a pro-bikeway voice, someone who moved here seven years ago and stopped biking because it was so unsafe, and would be happy to see this go the other way: “The neighborhood needs to prioritize all forms of transportation.”

Back to cars – a representative from the Easy Duz It Car Club asked about the cost of parking and whether the county had considered the results of a national study on reverse parking. Archuleta said they didn’t have the cost information on hand, but they would find it and get it out.

Speaking of money, another person asked if there would be money available for anyone who had to make changes to off-street parking or signage because of the final plan. Davis confirmed that federal rules could potentially require the property owner to pay for “infractions.”

A question with an unexpected answer: Has there been any consideration of lowering the speed limit? Archuleta said, “Lowering the speed limit does not make drivers go slower.” The follow-up: “Is that a data-driven statement?” No, he said, “it’s our experience — traffic calming measures are (what) are most effective.”

Those measures don’t include additional traffic lights, he said in response to another question, but they do include more push-button-activated flashing crosswalk lights. Will the timing of existing signals be improved? Archuleta said timing is an “ongoing” issue, so if there’s a particular signal you think needs to be looked at, please speak up.

Finally, Davis promised that her team would “continue to listen (and) read the results of the survey,” and promised that they would be made available to the community. If we were to honor a request to extend the survey, that would mean it would be open until August 7; you can take it here . But, she cautioned, “it’s late in the process … (we) have to make a decision and move on pretty quickly.”

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