LAST CALL: Alki Point ‘Healthy Street’ early-design feedback

| Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

(Beach Drive stretch of Alki Point ‘Healthy Street,’ photographed Saturday by Don Brubeck)

If you have something to say about the city’s “early design” proposals for the Alki Point “Healthy Street” – Beach Drive and Alki Avenue north of 63rd SW – the deadline is tomorrow (Friday) night. The city’s reminder summarizes: “We need your feedback on the design and project elements, including signs, landscaping, travel lanes, and traffic-calming tools like traffic circles and curb bulbs. While people can still drive on the Alki Point Healthy Street, the design has elements to discourage cut-through traffic and help keep the street safer for all users. This includes adding traffic circles, speed humps, bike lane markings, painted curb bulbs, vehicle turn-around areas, and crosswalk improvements. We’re also prioritizing ADA parking and loading zone areas for people kayaking, paddleboarding, and doing other water activities.” If you haven’t already seen the design proposals (WSB coverage here), go to this page. To comment by midnight tomorrow night, there’s an online form, or you can email AlkiKeepMovingStreet@seattle.gov or leave voicemail at 206-727-3565. The city announced in October that the “Healthy Street” status was permanent.

Flivver December 8, 2022 (3:39 pm)

Unless they actually restrict vehicle traffic won’t take long for people to realize they’re free to drive through as always. Raises the question as to why the city would spend the money for at best a minimal decrease in vehicles. Guess it gives them a warm fuzzy they’ve made the area safer.

WestSeattleBadTakes December 8, 2022 (4:43 pm)

Yeah, let’s just turn it into a six-lane stroad, what’s the difference!
- Quiz December 8, 2022 (5:41 pm)
  
  Or you could not waste the money and just leave it alone. The whole thing is so ridiculous.
  - WestSeattleBadTakes December 8, 2022 (9:10 pm)
    
    Yeah, any money spent to make roads safer is a waste. I forgot about that.
    - Kyle December 9, 2022 (8:06 am)
      
      The money would be better spent on actually dangerous roads. This started to give walkers more space during COVID than morphed into a neighborhood campaign to get rid of the car clubs and noise from people parking their in the summer.
Jethro Marx December 8, 2022 (4:48 pm)

The city wants people to know that they can still drive through. It is why they are telling people that they can still drive through.

Jay December 8, 2022 (3:48 pm)

The link to the form isn’t working. I’d love to see them take the sidewalk and one of the traffic lanes and turn it into a park.

WSB December 8, 2022 (4:28 pm)

Try again, seems to be working now.

SLJ December 8, 2022 (5:08 pm)

Why do they want to put up “street closed” signs when the streets are NOT closed? It’s just confusing and a waste. I don’t like eliminating the parking. When I paddle board, I can’t leave my stuff unattended when I move my car from the loading zone to another place to park. It makes much more sense to install speed bumps to slow people down and make it one-way so that there is more room for biking and walking.

Michael Ostrogorsky December 9, 2022 (11:57 am)

It weeds out people who are too dim to figure out the concept of *Safe Streets*, Sport! And no one *eliminated* any parking. If you spent any time paddleboarding or doing anything else on the *Closed* street, you’d quickly figure out it doesn’t stop people from driving through or parking their vehicles to actually paddleboard or anything else.
- SLJ December 9, 2022 (12:22 pm)
  
  If you look at the proposals, you will see they do eliminate some of the parking. On a busy summer day, parking will be difficult. I paddle board here, and I am aware that there is currently plenty of room. The proposals decrease that.

Sillygoose December 8, 2022 (5:54 pm)

So this was brought on by covid? Why not save money open it back up. No need to increase taxes for a few with a view. We all pay for this area with our taxes leave it alone. Focus on pot holes and left turn arrows.

Mark Schletty December 8, 2022 (6:35 pm)

All just more bs because the City wont allow the cops to enforce already existing traffic laws to help out the local residents. Completely backwards.

winniegirl December 8, 2022 (7:41 pm)

we have huge swaths of west seattle without sidewalks, much less bike lanes, and it seems an inordinate amount of effort is being put into this and other areas around alki. it’s kind of maddening

D Martin December 9, 2022 (5:04 am)

Exactly! Puget Ridge and the western half of Arbor Heights. No bike lanes, no sidewalks, and the streets are beyond pothole repair. It seems like all of Seattle has crumbling streets, yet this is SDOTS priority. I was in Redmond several days ago, and was amazed on how nice all their basic infrastructure is. Most of the Eastside is kind of blah, but I can see why some people move there.

Odd son December 8, 2022 (8:40 pm)

Glad to see the above comments.

Danimal December 8, 2022 (11:06 pm)

What a colossal waste of time and money. This is already a low-speed road with already reduced vehicle traffic due to the signs. There are already speed humps on the road at Constellation Park. None of the proposed things are needed; indeed, they’re a waste of taxpayer money that could go to more important things like drug addiction treatment and mental health treatment for the chronically addicted and homeless. Unbelievable the crap this city spends money on, all while raising property taxes so people can be shoved of out their family homes so richer people with deeper pockets for idealism can take their place.

Zig December 9, 2022 (8:04 am)

I agree.
Scarlett December 9, 2022 (8:34 am)

It really does approach absurdist opera.
New Salt December 9, 2022 (8:44 am)

Nailed it. “Richer people with deeper pockets for idealism” should be Seattle’s motto.

nothend December 9, 2022 (8:34 am)

I have lunch in my truck a few times a month on this “streets closed,,, it’s a park” healthy street. As others have said, the street is not closed and acting like its a park seems dangerous to me. Delivery drivers hit speeds +/- 40 mph just like on every other street in WS,,, and the city thinks its a safe place for kids to ride toys. This pic is from the city’s healthy street web page:And sure, the signage makes a few drivers avoid this stretch of road,,, but it’s still a street and not a park.

tim December 9, 2022 (8:46 am)

Call the Mayor and get rid of this cabal. Ridiculous. If the city has this much money to burn, how about just lowering taxes? Honestly, is there so many people sitting around, overpaid, just trying to figure out something to do? Go away, please.

P December 9, 2022 (8:57 am)

It needs to be a one way street…. traffic to turn down 63rd and go all the way down to Beach Drive to get around the ‘Point’…..

Grittygrits December 9, 2022 (10:23 am)

What a waste of money. That portion of Beach Drive is not a “cut through”. 64th is.

LPM December 9, 2022 (12:31 pm)

I hear about more people getting attacked by tweekers and thieves more than hit by cars. If we want safe streets, use the resources for the most dangerous threats, not make it more difficult to get around. SMH