West Seattle, Washington
26 Thursday
Reminder from West Seattle walkability advocate Chas Redmond — this week is IT for your chance to fill out a simple online city survey that could make a big difference toward getting leaders to listen to concerns and ideas about our area’s future walkability. Go here ASAP and follow the survey link from the right side of the page – even if your usual walking totals only yards instead of miles.
We’ve been keeping you up to date on plans for the city’s “community-parking review” in The Junction — which ultimately will lead to a decision on whether changes are made in management of the parking spots managed by the city (pay stations? Residential Parking Zones on nearby streets? status quo?). We published our first report last February, when WSB went to the Municipal Tower downtown for the first media briefing on the plan; then in May, the city Transportation Department (SDOT) told us it expected to start the review in September — and in our May update, we included the West Seattle Junction Association‘s call for your comments on the parking situation. Now that it’s September, we checked with SDOT – and here’s what communications director Rick Sheridan told us about the parking review’s status, and how you’ll get to have a say:Read More
Click that image for a larger look at the helpful chart drawn up by Morgan Community Association’s Cindi Barker after last night’s West Seattle Chamber of Commerce-sponsored transportation forum: She drew lines for each of the major projects likely to affect West Seattle drivers – BEFORE the Alaskan Way Viaduct‘s Central Waterfront Project starts in 2012 – so you can see where they overlap, at least under current plans. (Remember, the next big thing to kick in is the closure of lower eastbound Spokane Street, starting Tuesday 9/16, for water-main work preparing for the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project – that means if you get off the eastbound SSV on 1st Avenue South, you will have to turn left; if you are on eastbound Spokane Street from points further west, you will be able to turn right on 1st – no one will be allowed to go straight ahead on eastbound Spokane from there except truly “local” traffic, such as deliveries.
From WSDOT: “The on-ramp from Spokane Street to southbound I-5 is closed due to an oil spill from an earlier collision that involving a semi truck. The ramp will be closed while crews apply absorbent material to the roadway. WSDOT maintenance and incident response are on-scene.” We’ll let you know when we get word it’s reopened. 2:30 PM UPDATE: Open again.
That’s the scene from the first half of last night’s transportation forum presented by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce — the first hour was open-house format, so attendees could get information on virtually every major transportation project that’s about to affect West Seattleites; the second was Q/A moderated by CR Douglas. WSB contributor Evan Baumgardner covered the Q/A session — we thought that you might like to know exactly what was asked, and exactly how it was answered — Evan’s transcription follows:Read More
A couple leftover photos from Alki’s Car-Free Day, to go with answers to a few questions we asked SDOT spokesperson Rick Sheridan. First, we reported during the event that we did not see anyone ticketed or towed, so we asked him to confirm, and he replied: “No cars were ticketed or towed for the event. SDOT worked aggressively to notify residents and businesses about the parking restrictions, and it paid off with no real parking issues on Sunday.” Next question, we asked about costs — some citywide reports cited $45K as the price tag for all three Car-Free Day events — Sheridan replies: “We do not have a definitive breakdown of costs yet. If the city decides to hold similar events next year, one of the items we will explore is the feasibility of sponsors.” Speaking of next year, that was the third question we asked – how/when will it be decided if the city will do this again? Answer: “It may be a little early to determine the process for next year’s plan. Car Free Day on Alki was a great event, however, we want to evaluate the results of all three Car Free Days and determine whether Seattle should hold similar days next year.” General SDOT feedback how-to can be found here.
We’ve been updating you on the upcoming closure of lower eastbound Spokane Street, starting right where you get off the eastbound West Seattle Bridge at 1st (or affecting you sooner if you are driving on the surface from someplace further west) — as first reported here last Wednesday, the closure is now scheduled to start a week from tomorrow (see the detour route above), and this morning Seattle Public Utilities — whose water-main project marks the start of the work — has sent a news release with more specifics on exactly what it’s doing and where (plus other Sodo effects, for those who work/do business in that area):Read More
That’s the subject line on this note just out of the WSB inbox, from Marco:
Just got off the 21 bus in Downtown. In West Seattle a youth thought he had to entertain the back of the bus with loud music from his speakers. Of course, he turned it down every time the bus stopped, so the driver wouldn’t hear.
After we crossed the bridge a lady doing crosswords finally had enough and asked him to use headphones instead. But she was ignored, so a male passenger tapped the guy’s shoulder and ask him to turn it down.
Now the ‘musician’ was ready to pick a fight, because somebody touched him and two of his friends were quick to show support, shouting obscenities and threats, while other passengers announces solidarity with the ‘tapper’.
Eventually, the bus driver heard the commotion at the end of the bus and announced with good humor that he would stay at the bus stop and call somebody to mediate. Faced with a delay and a possible run-in with the authorities the ‘music-gang’ left the bus, under cheerful good-byes from the rest of the passengers.
I just want to say thank you to everybody that kept cool and a bus driver that skillfully defused the situation. I really appreciate having no violence on my Monday morning commute ;)
Lots happening in the week ahead, so we’ll try doing previews in installments. First: Tomorrow night. The big Tuesday night event is the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce-sponsored transportation forum at West Seattle High School — open-house format 6-7, moderated Q/A 7-8 pm. The Chamber has gathered reps who are experts on all the pieces of the increasingly complex getting-in-and-out-of-WS transportation puzzle – Alaskan Way Viaduct, Spokane Street Viaduct, Metro buses, Water Taxi, etc. Two neighborhood groups that usually meet on the second Tuesday of each month have changed their plans because of the forum, and two have not – Admiral Neighborhood Association will have a short business meeting at 8 pm at WSHS after the forum; Junction Neighborhood Organization is canceling its meeting so members can attend (and rallying volunteers for the Gateway Cleanup coming up this Saturday). Still on as usual tomorrow night: Westwood Neighborhood Council (7 pm Tuesday, Southwest Community Center, focusing on its current top issue, the future of the current Denny Middle School site) and Fauntleroy Community Association (7 pm Tuesday, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse). One more Tuesday night note: Another Seal Sitters training session, 7 pm at Alki Community Center (here’s our coverage of the one they had last month).
A stretch of Beach Drive in the Me-Kwa-Mooks vicinity is posted for parking restrictions that kick in tomorrow (9/8 through 9/19, 7 am to 6 pm). Neighbor Megan says the SDOT crews who put out the signs the other day told her it’s paving work.
(scroll/refresh for updates as we add them; our pre-closure reports can be found here)
Let’s just call him “Car-Free Guy.” At about 10 till noon, making our last motorized pass along Alki to check on pre-closure developments (coverage here), we spotted him (and his pal in the background) out in the road, just east of 53rd, hooting and hollering. Will they be the most enthusiastic Car-Free Day supporters we encounter in the next several hours? Any time you’re by a computer, check back to see what we find out; we’ll be posting updates, with photos. (And if somehow you’ve missed all the advance coverage — the waterfront roadway’s closed to vehicle traffic, except buses, from California Way/Harbor to 63rd/Alki, till 6 pm, and side streets leading from Admiral etc. are marked off as “Local Access Only,” so if you’re driving down, you’ll want to look for parking south of Admiral.) 12:34 PM UPDATE: Remember, you can head north on 63rd from Admiral, but you’re going to have to turn left – this is the west end of the closure zone:
Other streets are blocked off sooner – this is 61st/Stevens (note the bicyclist heading beachward):
We’re leaving the WSBmobile in a spot south of Admiral and heading off to report, car-free, from the car-free zone, laptop, aircard, cameras, and all. (Heaven forbid they should ever have a Tech-Free Day!) P.S. If you were wondering – Duke’s is open:
(When this was first announced in late July, they were quoted in a citywide-paper article as saying they “might close.” We’ll post here if we come across anyone closed who would otherwise be open.) 1:17 PM UPDATE: We’re at Tully’s on Alki, where it’s undeniably quieter than it might be on a day like today – so said the counter folks to an inquiring customers, plus there’s the anecdotal fact we didn’t have to wait in line. Here’s what the beach looks like, looking east from the Bathhouse; lots of empty sand:
If you come down here, though, you must go INTO the Bathhouse – that’s where you’ll find (left to right) Colette, Shannon, and Kim:
They are serving up Husky ice cream during the Cones for Kids fundraiser for a Children’s Hospital guild – till 4 pm – planned for today long before the Car-Free Day plan was announced. You can go in from the front, back, or east side of the Bathhouse – there are family activities outside, too – a scooter course on the east side and (in the background) a “fishing” tank on the north side:
In the parking strip along the street in front of the Bathhouse, you’ll find a couple booths, with Sustainable West Seattle and CoolMom.org on hand among others:
Though it’s quiet-ish here at Tully’s, most of the restaurants we have walked by seemed fairly busy. Notably, we haven’t seen too many people just walking right down the middle of the traffic lane that’s closed off – more than a few bicyclists, though, although they usually have their own lane anyway. And some have paused along the seawall to watch kite-surfers take advantage of this afternoon’s spirited breeze:
We’ll continue walking east shortly for more updates. (Couple non-police non-government cars just went by in the bus lane past here … walkers seemed startled.) 2:17 PM UPDATE: Now on the curb along Bonair just before it intersects with Alki (map). Lots of cars coming down the hill – they have to turn right here – more than a few coming by, too, so it appears the “local access” really is happening. Even saw a taxi while heading this way:
Biggest news so far – came across one vehicle that never did move out of the no-parking zone – got a close look at what was under its wipers. NOT a ticket – the golden notice just says you shouldn’t have been parked here and if you need to move your vehicle before 6 pm, find somebody from SDOT – the white piece of paper, by the way, is hand-lettered with “Car-Free Day Complaints” and lists a 684-something (that’s the city, usually) number. A non-city notice, perhaps?
Back closer to the heart of the beach – the most action we’ve encountered so far is over by Coastal, Slices, etc. – Coastal has the skating/biking ramp, as promised:
And a little west of there, some hula-hooping’s going on:
Next, we’re going to walk a little further east before turning back toward the business district. 3:01 PM UPDATE: Changed our plan. Decided to keep walking to the other end of the closure zone – to be able to chronicle what’s happening all along the entire stretch. If we hadn’t decided to do that, for example, we wouldn’t have met these fine folks, among the few who’ve actually set up impromptu tables in the street for the occasion:
Left to right, that’s Aaron, Carina, Debbie, and Sara. We found them hanging out in the 1600 block of Alki, “playing Scrabble and eating grapes.” Plus, they set up a pirate flag (partly visible behind them) “so nobody hits us!” (On that side of the street, it would have to be a bicycle. We’re currently stopped a few blocks past their table – in the 1300 block of Alki, on one of those delightful seawall-top benches under a shady tree – and still seeing a lot of bikers, walkers, rollerbladers, etc. Heading on toward “Anchor Park” and beyond, momentarily. 4:03 PM UPDATE: Made it to the east end of the closure, by Seacrest, about half an hour ago:
No other surprise sights along the way, just a steady stream of cyclists and walkers, like those in this shot from the semi-high-rise-condo zone:
Seacrest looked like a typically busy Sunday afternoon. We caught a ride back to the other end of the closure zone, where just for comparison’s sake we snapped another photo a few minutes ago:
Less than two hours to go and no reports of any real problems. We’re staked out for the moment right across from the Bathhouse; a little ways down the block, a TV live truck (no logo) is setting up, so you’ll probably see something on one of the 5 pm newscasts. Not planning on filing another update unless we spot something unusual between now and the end of the event – but we’ll be back to verify everything’s open when 6 pm arrives. 5:58 PM UPDATE: Heading back toward the beach to verify everything’s open again. The TV report turned out to be KING; though there was some broad hinting that “some” business owners thought business was down a bit, the only person who said that on camera was from Spud. We noticed things definitely picked up as the afternoon wore on; Cactus, for example, had an overflow crowd when we walked back to our car after 4:30.
(scroll down or refresh for updates; we’ll start a new post when the closure starts @ noon)
We’ll break our Alki “Car-Free Day” coverage today into three reports – before the closure (till noon), during (till 6), afterward (later this evening). First report – Just drove the length of Harbor/Alki starting a few minutes after the parking restrictions took effect at 10 am, driving westbound to 63rd. No tow trucks spotted yet. Did see more than two dozen cars parked in the no-parking zone, though, like these in the 1300 block of Alki:
Parking-enforcement golf carts and some other Seattle Police vehicles are staging at Don Armeni:
SDOT crews are starting here on the west end of the to-be-closed zone and working eastward, placing cones along the center line (the Water Taxi and 56 will run in the lane away from the water).
Heading back the other way shortly to see if any tow trucks have turned up yet. 10:44 AM UPDATE: Back at the police staging area at Don Armeni. Heading southeast through the parking lot (toward Seacrest), just got passed by several officers on Segways. Almost every type of police vehicle is here, including several motorcycles and one of the parking-enforcement Chargers. Still no sign of tow trucks, but looks like some of the cars we spotted parked in the no-parking zone back closer to the beach have since moved. Meantime, the SDOT crew coning off the bus lane has already made it to the 53rd Ave Pump Station zone:
If you were having trouble visualizing exactly where the no-parking zone kicked in at Maryland/Harbor – here’s a look, pointed southeast – this is right by the west entrance to Don Armeni – the street sign toward the right side of the photo is Maryland:
Heading back the other way toward the beach now that Hour 2 of parking restrictions is about to start. Once noon arrives, we also will report on the other side of this – where roads are blocked leading to Alki from the Admiral etc. 11:20 AM UPDATE: Only about a dozen vehicles left parked in the no-parking zone; most appear to have been ticketed (unless that’s something else in the little gold envelopes):
Honey Bucket’s putting out some port-o-lets in spots east of the main beach zone (since you won’t be able to drive to a restroom if you need one????). Most interesting note: Beach-route side streets from Admiral (all the way up to Lander) are already marked off with LOCAL ACCESS ONLY signs – this pic is from 61st/Admiral:
Probably one more pre-closure update to come in this post – then after 12 noon we will start a new post on what’s happening during the actual event, whether the beach is busy (or not, as some fear), etc. 11:56 AM UPDATE: As of about five minutes ago, the side streets were all closed off. Just a few straggler cars parked in the no-parking zone; still no sign of tow trucks, we’ll check later to see if they just stayed put (with envelope under windshield wiper) during the event. We’ll launch the “happening now” post in a couple minutes – just passed a couple of enthusiastic guys out in the street east of 53rd yelling “WE’RE CAR-FREE, HOW ABOUT YOU?” “Gonna be,” we replied. Will be hoofing it shortly (and will start the new post with the sign guy’s photo, provided it came out).
ALKI “CAR-FREE DAY” TODAY: As per beaucoup previous mentions – noon-6 pm, no driving on Alki between California Way/Harbor and Alki/63rd except for the Water Taxi shuttle, the 56 bus (here’s one reroute alert), and a few exceptions spelled out in the official city advisory; parking restrictions (no parking between Maryland/Harbor and 63rd/Alki) kick in two hours earlier, so they’re in effect 10 am-6 pm. We will be posting frequent updates from Alki starting around 10, so you can check here for the latest report before you go. Lots of activities planned, and remember the Cones for Kids fundraiser at Alki Bathhouse (planned before the Car-Free Day was scheduled, so they’re really hoping it’ll be a fundraising boon and not a boondoggle), 1-4 pm.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Happening 10 am-2 pm at 44th/Alaska as always. Here’s our weekly link to the latest “Ripe ‘n’ Ready” fresh sheet, listing what you can expect to find.
POOL FINALE: Today’s the last 2008 day for Colman Pool on the Lincoln Park shoreline. (Here’s our report on its first day; seems like minutes ago instead of months.) Today’s schedule, from the Colman brochure: Lap Swim noon-2:45 pm, Public Swim 3-4:45 pm, Lap Swim 5-7 pm.
More of today’s options are listed in the latest West Seattle Weekend Lineup.
Just so you can’t say we didn’t give you the heads-up (more than a dozen of them, actually, going all the way back to first word six weeks ago): Tomorrow’s the day that the third of the city’s three “Car-Free Days” this summer will shut down Alki SW (and a bit of Harbor) to most traffic from Harbor/California Way to Alki/63rd (see map above, and click it to see the doorhanger from which it was taken), noon-6 pm. No-parking signs have been up since Thursday; 10 am tomorrow, two hours before the actual road closures, the no-parking rules take effect, from Maryland (map) to 63rd. We will be posting updates – with photos as well as info – from the area by then, watching to see whether anyone gets towed; then, as noon gets closer (as we did on the 4th of July) reporting on the street closures; and once noon arrives, we’ll post updates on the activities that are under way (here’s our preview) and how many people are actually down on Alki to participate (will it be the “ghost town” some predicted? in less than 15 hours, we’ll find out). More questions? Here’s our post from yesterday with the final official city advisory; here’s the city’s own information page about the event. Once things start kicking in around 10 am, if you have anything to report, please e-mail us, or text or tweet (see the Contact page for all the different options). P.S. We walked the Alki business district this afternoon looking for any evidence any businesses are closing tomorrow because they think it’ll be quiet (as had been hinted when this was first announced); found NO evidence – let us know, though, if you’ve heard of any, otherwise we’ll be checking on that again tomorrow too.
From Denise Sharify, who works for Neighborhood House in High Point and has long been an advocate for pedestrian-safety improvements in the area, we get word that the 15-year-old HP girl hit by an SUV at 35th/Juneau on Thursday is out of the hospital. Denise says, “It is a miracle she seems to be okay with a concussion and minor abrasions.” Denise is hoping to work with the HP Neighborhood Association and the city on pushing for more improvements; we will have more on that, plus a safety-related plea from a local police leader, in another WSB report later tonight; first, we wanted to pass along the good news about the accident victim as soon as we heard it.
We’ve been talking about it since bringing you first word six weeks ago, and now, whether you’ve been anticipating it or dreading it, it’s almost here: “Car-Free Day” on Alki, noon-6 pm Sunday, with parking restrictions taking effect two hours earlier. We’ve shown you the map, the doorhanger, the flyer for cars, the no-parking signs (and as of this afternoon, the detour/street closed signs have been dropped off all over the area – 2 examples shown above); now, here’s the official final SDOT advisory:
Here’s what to expect during this time:
Motorists:
-Motorists cannot use Alki Ave SW from 63rd Ave SW over to Harbor Ave SW and California Way SW.
-Exceptions will be made for emergency response and people with disabilities.
-An eastbound lane will remain open along Alki Ave SW for the Water Taxi shuttle, bus route 56 and residents needing access to their homes.
-Detour signs will guide motorists around California Ave SW to SW Admiral Way.
-Parking will not be allowed, except for people with special needs, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Alki Ave SW from 63rd Ave SW over to Harbor Ave SW and SW Maryland Place.
-There will be local access to the boat ramp at Don Armeni park off Harbor Ave SW.Transit:
The Elliott Bay Water Taxi and Water Taxi land shuttle will operate on their normal Sunday schedule.Bicyclists:
Cascade Bicycle Club volunteers will lead three bike rides to the Car Free Day including:
-From Seward Park at 8:30 a.m.
-From Greenlake Park and Ride at 10:30 a.m.
-From Kent at 10:30 a.m.More details on these bike rides can be found at
http://cascade.org/EandR/Activities_Calendar.cfmAll participants are encouraged to bike, walk or take transit to the event. If Seattleites drive every vehicle 1,000 miles a year less (about 20 miles a week), we can meet our current climate pollution reduction goals.
We mentioned earlier that the city is also leafletting cars as an extra way of getting out the word about Car-Free Day on Alki SW this Sunday (parking restrictions 10 am-6 pm, driving restrictions noon-6 pm). Looking at the leaflet forwarded by SDOT’s Rick Sheridan, we see a few additional details: The parking restrictions are now listed as SW Maryland (map) to 63rd SW – different from the traffic closure, which is supposed to start at California Way (map); the bus lane is described as being for the 56 as well as the Water Taxi shuttle (route 773). You can see the flyer here.
By year’s end, there’s supposed to be a plan for what will happen when the Central Waterfront mile of the Alaskan Way Viaduct comes down in 2012. Since that plan will affect West Seattle mobility in a big way, community leaders have been working to make sure they and their groups are plugged in to the latest information — and that’s the reason most of last night’s joint meeting of the Southwest and Delridge District Councils focused on what’s up with The Viaduct. They got a heavy-hitting panel of top transportation execs to present the briefing — WSDOT’s David Dye, SDOT’s Bob Powers, and King County Department of Transportation director Harold Taniguchi. In addition, meeting participants included the two West Seattleites who serve on the Stakeholder Advisory Group that’s been helping vet Central Waterfront possibilities — Delridge District Council chair Pete Spalding and Fauntleroy Community Association‘s Vlad Oustimovitch. Here’s what happened in the meeting:Read More
The city promised it would put up “No Parking” signs 72 hours in advance of this Sunday’s Car-Free Day on Alki – we just checked, and as that photo shows, they kept the promise. Alki SW is off-limits for parking from California Way to 63rd SW (map’s on the city-info page) 10 am to 6 pm on Sunday; it will be closed to traffic (except one lane for the Water Taxi shuttle bus, and some resident-access exceptions) noon-6 for the actual event. Next part of the notification plan that’s scheduled to kick in: Automated phone calls to area residents/businesses, which SDOT’s Rick Sheridan told us would start this afternoon. (Let us know if you get one!) 6:05 PM UPDATE: Just got word from SDOT that leaflets are being placed on cars. Will upload a copy of the leaflet soon as we can so you can see it.
As the city’s “Car-Free Day” on Alki SW (California Way to 63rd SW, as per the above map) gets closer – noon-6 pm this Sunday – we’re posting daily reminders with the newest information. Tonight, a couple of activity updates; Coastal on Alki is planning a skateboarding “mini-ramp in the street” plus raffles and a “street sale.” Several local organizations and businesses are planning to set up tables with information about walking and biking — we just talked with Chas Redmond at the Delridge/Southwest District Councils’ joint meeting at Youngstown Arts Center, and he’ll be there with more (free!) copies of the West Seattle Walking Trails Map. In addition, as mentioned previously, the Cones for Kids Children’s Hospital guild fundraiser is set for 1-4 pm at Alki Bathhouse, and we got word this week that West Seattle-based BabyLegs is offering a gift bag (with a free pair of BabyLegs) to the first 50 people to take part in Cones for Kids. Meantime, as we reported earlier this week, the city is planning one last infoblitz to make sure no one in the affected area misses word that this is happening – tomorrow, a city phone system is scheduled to make calls to residents and businesses, and the “No Parking” signs (restrictions are in effect 10 am-6 pm Sunday) should be going out tomorrow, since SDOT told us they’ll be up with 72 hours’ notice. More infobits in tomorrow’s update, if not sooner; here’s the official city information page. ADDED 10:38 PM: Bill Reiswig from Sustainable West Seattle passed along some more information — info-tabling will be happening noon-5, bicycle-maintenance demonstrations and repair assistance are planned 5-6. Other groups participating include CoolMom.org, Cascade Bicycle Club, and Feet First; we’re told the Rat City Rollergirls are even expected to put in an appearance — this is all planned in the parking strip in front of the bathhouse.
Found out from the WSDOT Twitter feed that Washington State Ferries has upgraded its “Vessel Watch” feature, which uses GPS to show which ferry is where. You can see it here.
If you use lower Spokane Street from 1st eastward (usually accessed by West Seattleites getting off the Spokane Street Viaduct at 1st Avenue So.), listen up: The city has just pushed back the start date for that street closure (and the above detour) till week after next, though a parking change WILL kick in next Monday, according to Elaine Yeung:
To enable the contractor to stage and mobilize equipment, there will be no parking beneath the (Spokane Street) viaduct between 2nd and 4th beginning on Monday, September 8th.
The closure will be for utility work that marks the start of the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project, which will double the width of the elevated roadway between 99 and I-5, plus change the ramp configuration, over the next three years. Catch up with WSB coverage in this archive (newest to oldest).
That’s a section of the map distributed at yesterday’s media event announcing the county’s plan to add bus service when major Alaskan Way Viaduct construction kicks in (WSB coverage here and here). The electronic copy of that map (showing specific bus routes that are “candidates for service enhancement” countywide) wasn’t available till just now, so we wanted to share it: Here’s the link to the full map. You may notice something we didn’t catch when we saw the printed-out version: the mention of potential RapidRide “early enhancement.” Might that mean West Seattle RapidRide would start sooner than 2011? Councilmember Dow Constantine‘s staff says we’ll know more when County Executive Ron Sims‘ full proposal gets to the council for review.
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