The Wallingford Community Council will hold its monthly meeting on Wednesday, September 5th at 7:00 PM at the Good Shepherd Center. Items on the agenda include:
- Gasworks Park update by City
- SDOT report on a traffic study with goals including:
- * Improving throughput on West bound 50th at the Green Lake Way intersection
- * Extending bike lanes on Stone Way through to Green Lake
- * Adding a pedestrian crossing into Lower Woodland Park at 52nd street
- Zoo Events Proposals
- I-5 Noise: WCC co-sponsorship of a meeting with the Eastlake CC regarding I-5 noise issues with WSDOT , Rep. Frank Chopps – State Speaker of the House, Reps. Pedersen and Clibborn and a staff person for Senator Murray.
Everyone is welcome. Come and let your voice be heard on these and other community issues.
Lee’s characterization of the SDOT report is off by a click. In particular, the improvements to Green Lake Way are more about improving safety and flow than increasing throughput (which is very hard to do at 50th and Green Lake Way). Also, I have not heard that they are specifically looking at 52nd street for a pedestrian crossing. Here’s the approved wording for what SDOT will talk about tonight:
As requested by the Wallingford Community Council and the Green Lake Community Council, SDOT has been studying extending the successful Stone Way road diet through Green Lake Way to the lake. The goals are to restore lost pedestrian crossings between Wallingford and Lower Woodland Park, connect bike lanes on Stone Way and 50th to bike lanes going around the lake, and to improve traffic flow and safety while maintaining throughput. At the September 5th meeting of the Wallingford Community Council Brian Dougherty from SDOT will report back the results of their traffic study and lay out the process going forward.
I was not able to attend the meeting. Is there a location to find out what happened, read the minutes, etc? I’m especially interested in the Gasworks Park and SDOT items. Thanks!
How about a large 2-lane round-a-bout at 50th/stone/greenlake way? I’ve seen these have excellent throughput in other cities and in particularly busy roundabouts they also have traffic signals. I don’t know how many times i have sat through several red lights watchign nobody go because the light doesn’t know which direction is busy.
man, Tobin, that light at Greenlake and Stone is the worst!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wouldnt want a roundabout but I’d certainly like to se our paid city engineers fix it.. why is everyone stopped.. noone going anywhere.. my refrain.. on the way to oh dear, yoga..!!!
Neighbor2You- here’s a meeting recap:
Gasworks playground soil study is in October, with planning beginning first of next year. Parks will meet again with the WCC early in the new year.
SDOT is looking at completing the Stoneway road diet by continuing it onto Green Lake Way between 50th and the lake, taking that stretch of road from 4 lanes down to 3 lanes, adding pedestrian crossings and bike lanes. Traffic and safety studies have been done and support the switch. There will be additional public forums once there are specific designs to review. The WCC voted to endorse the proposed reconfiguration in general.
Tobin / aaaaaaaa: The proposed changes at the intersection are much more incremental than a fundamental change like switching to a roundabout. The changes under review are about changing light timing and having more restricted parking on West bound 50th as you approach the light. I don’t think the overall light cycle will change much, it’s just a few tweaks to improve throughput.
Too bad 🙁
aaaaa, the beauty of a roundabout is that everyone can go right-on-red when the coast is clear, which means no more waiting for a green light watching the empty intersection (no one going). It’s rare that I ever hit the light green and can zip through without stopping, and a roundabout won’t slow you down much even in that situation.
well, I disagree re roundabouts. I lived in Richland WA and had to go through 2 to get to the gym I chose in Kennewick. People didnt knwo who was supposed to go and sometimes 2 cars would hesitate looking at one anohter. and cars behind them go tirritated.. OR while someone approached the roundabout a person intent on speed would wzom through. It go t scary at times.
I also go through them on way to Port Townsend.. there people all are slow, bu tI really noticed where once there were grass and trees now is a larger cement round all over cement.
I always thought the plural of Frank Chopp was Franks Chopp.
A two-lane roundabout cannot work with pedestrians; many cross at that intersection, including large groups of children.
good point, including those kids on ropes from the preschool
Eric, thank you for the recap on the meeting….very helpful!
As to the notion of a roundabout, I’d worry that those motorists inclined to drive without regard to others (whether cars, bicyclists, or pedestrians) would speed through all the more, heightening the likelihood of collision. The intersection at 50th and Stone is problematic, for sure, but a roundabout is not a viable solution.