By reporter Steven Smalley
Without much of a hi-how-are-you, the Seattle Department of Transportation marked the intersection of West Howe Street and Magnolia Boulevard to install an improved network of wheelchair ramps, islands, and signage for better pedestrian access to this odd confluence of streets. Situated just west of the Howe Street Bridge, contractors made short work of the project before many could raise a hand to question it. One concerned resident who made an attempt was the homeowner directly in the path of construction, lives on the corner.
?I asked repeatedly to see the plans,? she said. ?I wanted to see what they were doing, and to see how it affected my property. I was stalled and stalled.?
After further inquiries ?up the chain with the city,? and more than a bit of persistence, city employees visited the site. They said the upgrade was driven by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
?When I saw the plans, I thought it was a very poor design,??she stated. ?I thought we could review them. The city said it was too late. It was already going to happen in three weeks.?
?The stop sign was a big issue. I went back and forth with the city about it. The car that is stopped at the stop sign blocks me from getting out of my driveway,? she declares. ?The sign is also not visible from the Howe Street Bridge. I simply requested that the city move the stop sign about 12-feet east at the end of the Howe Street Bridge.?
Following a visit to the intersection by Magnolia Voice, it was observed the stop sign is set back (north) from the street and is indeed not visible from the middle of the bridge. Also, while on scene for only a few minutes, this reporter witnessed several vehicles ? passenger and commercial ? blow through the stop as though they didn?t see it.
?The city decided to placate me and cut back the shrubs so the sign could be seen more,??The resident?said. ?But that?s a temporary solution to a permanent problem, because the shrubs will grow back. The solution is to move the stop sign.?
She made a special point to speak out about her treatment by the city.
?It just ticks me off that the city just ignores me. It?s like it doesn?t mean anything to be a homeowner,? she says. ?I feel as though they?re just patting me on the head and saying, ?Oh, it will all go away.? They make me feel small, as though I don?t have any voice and I?m not educated enough to understand traffic. I?m in the construction business. Construction is my background. We employ 150 people. If my husband were alive he?d be jumping up-and-down on the mayor?s desk today and he would make something happen. I?m very frustrated.?
Following a request for comment by Magnolia Voice, City Traffic Engineer, Dongho Chang emailed his answers to specific questions about?the resident’s?concerns.
?Americans with Disabilities Act passed by United States Congress requires public streets to be accessible by people with disabilities,? he writes. ?Our review determined that a wheelchair user did not have any access at this intersection. The intersection was modified to provide ADA access in the safest way possible for all users, especially our most vulnerable neighbors that live in the community to access the Boulevard and to cross the Howe Street Bridge.?
?We looked at installing just the curb ramps, but the visibility for the wheelchair users attempting to cross from both Magnolia Blvd. and Howe Street Bridge was not sufficient,? he continued. ?We also looked at revising the intersection to a ?Tee? configuration, but found that we could improve the intersection operation with a triangular island that gives eastbound smoother travel through the intersection. The triangular island also provides a resting place at this complex intersection and gives the people crossing a safer stop controlled crossing…There were sufficient gaps in traffic for the homeowner to have access to and from the driveway as well. ?Contractor will be finishing up soon with the final paint and signing. A stop ahead warning sign will be replacing the yellow sign that warns driver about the curve on the Howe Street bridge.?
?Changes that are made to provide sidewalks, crosswalks, and intersection reconfiguration does impact home and property owners. ?Although we try to minimize this impact, safety for the traveling public has to be our highest priority. In this instance, the safety of the people who are walking and traveling through the intersection in cars did impact a homeowner due to the proximity of the new stop sign to the driveway. I also realize that this change also impacts how the entire community travel through this intersection. I apologize for these impacts and thank the community for their understanding. I do live in the community and will be monitoring this intersection to ensure it is working as intended.?
Another related issue brought to the attention of Magnolia Voice by a resident bicycle rider concerns the bike lane that previously coursed through the intersection. Changes ? with the lane now gone and a bicycle emblem affixed to the roadway ? indicate both rider and driver must ?squeeze into a bottleneck at the triangle. The rider noted the effect of pushing bicycle and automobile together at a narrow place makes for a dangerous location.
?I asked repeatedly to see the plans,? she said. ?I wanted to see what they were doing, and to see how it affected my property. I was stalled and stalled.?
After further inquiries ?up the chain with the city,? and more than a bit of persistence, city employees visited the site. They said the upgrade was driven by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
?When I saw the plans, I thought it was a very poor design,??she stated. ?I thought we could review them. The city said it was too late. It was already going to happen in three weeks.?
?The stop sign was a big issue. I went back and forth with the city about it. The car that is stopped at the stop sign blocks me from getting out of my driveway,? she declares. ?The sign is also not visible from the Howe Street Bridge. I simply requested that the city move the stop sign about 12-feet east at the end of the Howe Street Bridge.?
Following a visit to the intersection by Magnolia Voice, it was observed the stop sign is set back (north) from the street and is indeed not visible from the middle of the bridge. Also, while on scene for only a few minutes, this reporter witnessed several vehicles ? passenger and commercial ? blow through the stop as though they didn?t see it.
?The city decided to placate me and cut back the shrubs so the sign could be seen more,??The resident?said. ?But that?s a temporary solution to a permanent problem, because the shrubs will grow back. The solution is to move the stop sign.?
She made a special point to speak out about her treatment by the city.
?It just ticks me off that the city just ignores me. It?s like it doesn?t mean anything to be a homeowner,? she says. ?I feel as though they?re just patting me on the head and saying, ?Oh, it will all go away.? They make me feel small, as though I don?t have any voice and I?m not educated enough to understand traffic. I?m in the construction business. Construction is my background. We employ 150 people. If my husband were alive he?d be jumping up-and-down on the mayor?s desk today and he would make something happen. I?m very frustrated.?
Following a request for comment by Magnolia Voice, City Traffic Engineer, Dongho Chang emailed his answers to specific questions about?the resident’s?concerns.
?Americans with Disabilities Act passed by United States Congress requires public streets to be accessible by people with disabilities,? he writes. ?Our review determined that a wheelchair user did not have any access at this intersection. The intersection was modified to provide ADA access in the safest way possible for all users, especially our most vulnerable neighbors that live in the community to access the Boulevard and to cross the Howe Street Bridge.?
?We looked at installing just the curb ramps, but the visibility for the wheelchair users attempting to cross from both Magnolia Blvd. and Howe Street Bridge was not sufficient,? he continued. ?We also looked at revising the intersection to a ?Tee? configuration, but found that we could improve the intersection operation with a triangular island that gives eastbound smoother travel through the intersection. The triangular island also provides a resting place at this complex intersection and gives the people crossing a safer stop controlled crossing…There were sufficient gaps in traffic for the homeowner to have access to and from the driveway as well. ?Contractor will be finishing up soon with the final paint and signing. A stop ahead warning sign will be replacing the yellow sign that warns driver about the curve on the Howe Street bridge.?
?Changes that are made to provide sidewalks, crosswalks, and intersection reconfiguration does impact home and property owners. ?Although we try to minimize this impact, safety for the traveling public has to be our highest priority. In this instance, the safety of the people who are walking and traveling through the intersection in cars did impact a homeowner due to the proximity of the new stop sign to the driveway. I also realize that this change also impacts how the entire community travel through this intersection. I apologize for these impacts and thank the community for their understanding. I do live in the community and will be monitoring this intersection to ensure it is working as intended.?
Another related issue brought to the attention of Magnolia Voice by a resident bicycle rider concerns the bike lane that previously coursed through the intersection. Changes ? with the lane now gone and a bicycle emblem affixed to the roadway ? indicate both rider and driver must ?squeeze into a bottleneck at the triangle. The rider noted the effect of pushing bicycle and automobile together at a narrow place makes for a dangerous location.
Car at stop sign blocks driveway
New stop sign invisible to motorists Bicycles and cars bottleneck at intersection
New stop sign invisible to motorists Bicycles and cars bottleneck at intersection