West Seattle, Washington
08 Sunday
… you should see it again. Nine days after a sharp reader helped us bring you first word of the Elliott Bay Water Taxi‘s increased capacity, extra early-AM run, and extra shuttle during the looming Freeway Fright ’07, King County posted another official alert about it today. If you still aren’t completely dialed into the I-5 challenges ahead, here’s the WSDOT lowdown; here’s the city’s plan; here’s our newly enhanced traffic-cams-n-more page (we’ll be adding more including the I-5/Spokane Street cam since that will be the epicenter of the Aug. 10-29 fun).
WSB reader/commenter (and blogger) Chas Redmond writes to tell us flyers have just gone around announcing the imminent demise of the 35th SW crosswalk at Kenyon (photo), hot on the heels of the Java Bean crosswalk removal….
Chas elaborates on this better than we could, so we’re quoting verbatim from his e-mail:
SDOT appears to be on a crosswalk-removing rampage – again claiming that “safety is our highest priority” and that un-signalized but marked crosswalks do not meet Federal standards based in part on a 2002 Federal Highway Administration study. So, the latest victim is the marked crosswalk at Kenyon and 35th Avenue SW. Oh, SDOT also says that “it is also important to note that, according to Washington state law, a legal pedestrian crossing exists at every intersection regardless of whether or not a crosswalk is marked. Thus pedestrians will continue to have a legal right to cross at this intersection.”
What they don’t state is that they are removing more and more of the visible signs of pedestrians, giving drivers even more incentive to ignore pedestrians. Irrespective of whether or not un-signalized crosswalks are safer or not, marked crosswalks remind motorists that there other users of the roadway or intersection and removing them is one more notch on the belt of automotive traffic at the expense of pedestrian traffic. Responses can be made by calling SDOT’s comment line at 206-615-1608 or e-mailing “walkandbike@seattle.gov.”
But be it known that the flyer states emphatically “SDOT will be removing the crosswalk at 35th Avenue SW and SW Kenyon Street.”
West Seattle’s Most Famous Politician announced today that he is planning to cope with Freeway Fright ’07 by, among other things, telecommuting and taking some time off. If you can’t work from home, how about a wi-fi-equipped coffeehouse? Suggests Hizzoner, “Fill up, log in, and chill out.” If you just can’t avoid driving, take note that some alternate routes will get special treatment, like First Avenue South heading north from The Bridge into downtown. Remember, you can check commute cams before you leave, through our WS “Live” Cams page. We’ll bring you more details on alternate routes in the days before FF ’07 hits; for now, here’s the official WSDOT project page. (We would be negligent also not to take this opportunity to re-remind you of an unrelated WS project that’s now just days away, the intense phase of Admiral repaving.)
West Seattle bicyclists, you tell us: Is the fact that “sharrows” weren’t included in the Cali repaving truly the outrage this Slog post infers it is, or should be?
We’ve mentioned before that Delridge Arco, besides usually having the lowest posted gas price in WS (though one reader warned, that can be negated by a surcharge for using plastic), has quite the challenge for those tasked with changing its price signs: They have to change four sets of numbers, one on each side of its two big signs. If one particular digit appears too often — well, see our picture to witness the results. (The backward and missing digits are supposed to be 9’s.) Arco’s $2.79 is still the lowest in WS; next up, Admiral Chevron at $2.87 as of last night, with many others following at $2.89. Speaking of numbers, interesting Times story today about what kind of profit station operators apparently are NOT making off these prices.
Our WS “live” cams page has long featured links to city and state traffic cameras in and near WS. In time for this morning’s commute, we tweaked the page to add images from those cameras: Each time you check the page, you will see the newest images from all the cameras we link to. They won’t automatically refresh (nor do they on their source sites), but every time you “refresh” or return to the page, you will get updated images for all cameras. Let us know any other cameras (the city and state have a ton) you would like to see added.
Hot out of the inbox, a city update on the Admiral Way paving project, including a total shutdown between 41st & Olga, week after next — here’s hoping it’s finished on time, before colliding with Freeway Fright ’07 — click ahead for the full text of the city update:Read More
A commenter broke the news beneath the I-5 post below … we got it confirmed by King County and WSDOT: 
The Water Taxi is getting new technology (Automatic Identification System equipment) which enables the Coast Guard to certify it to nearly double its passenger capacity to 250. This is being done in time for Freeway Fright ’07 next month, but will last beyond that. As King County Councilmember Dow Constantine‘s office points out, the increased capacity will be good for other peak traffic times and heavy ridership situations, such as the the day last year when a deadly accident blocked The Bridge. During the August 10-29 construction period ONLY, an extra WT trip will be offered, at 6:10 am, and two extra shuttle vans will be added to the WT Shuttle routes during “peak hours.” For those of you who like to know where the $ is coming from, the county says the state is picking up the $20K-plus that’s involved here. SIDE NOTE: If you didn’t see our detailed report last Friday afternoon about a proposal to create a new Water Taxi terminal at Pier 1/2 adjacent to Jack Block Park, read it here.
The very nice folks in communications @ the state Transportation Department have e-mailed us a couple times to see how they can help get all of us in WSB-land through the impending Freeway Fright ’07 — the work on northbound I-5, between the far east end of the WS Bridge and the I-90 exit, slated for August 10-29 (unless more stupid summer rain gets in the way). They want to be 1000% sure you have every last bit of info you need to survive — here’s their “project page” (complete with countdown clock!) and blog-post discussion (did you know WSDOT had a blog?). Our question now: what more do you want/need to know about this work and how it will affect traffic? Whatever your question, they seem willing to offer answers.
Days after the city carried out its plan to take out the Avalon crosswalk by Java Bean and Luna Park Cafe, it’s also finally answered a couple of tough questions posed by a concerned citizen.
First time this citizen wrote to the address the city offers for comments/questions, WalkAndBike@seattle.gov, he got what sounded like a standardized reply. So he tried again. That exchange, after the jump: Read More
Looking around at WS pump prices for our now-weekly update, we reflected a bit on what was happening when we started WSGPW with this post three months ago — prices were skyrocketing. 
The highest posted price for unleaded in WS peaked in mid-May, when two stations sold it for $3.49. Tonight, one of those stations, 35th/Holden Chevron, is fifty cents lower (left photo); the lowest posted price in WS tonight is at Delridge Arco, $2.83 (right photo), down 54 cents from its May 11 peak. If you’re interested in the whys and wherefores, this article tries to explain what’s been going on in the gasoline industry.
Harbor Avenue around the northeastern edge of the WS peninsula will be in for big changes if either or both of two ambitious ideas presented at last night’s Alki Community Council meeting become reality. It was emphasized that the two plans are not officially linked — but they have undeniable “synergy.” They involve land adjacent to, and east of, what many describe as West Seattle’s “secret gem,” Jack Block Park.
First: The Pier 1/2 concept for a new Water Taxi dock. It’s an unofficial proposal but may be gaining steam, since most would agree the Water Taxi can’t stay at Seacrest forever (among other things, the parking crunch is just too ridiculous). Pier 1/2 is Port of Seattle property adjacent to Jack Block Park. Much more on this and the other proposal, after the click …Read More
So it seems that before The Commute From Hell became hellish yesterday, it got a little wild. Reader e-mail that just came in:
Did anybody see if the smaller possum that was trundling earnestly up
the center lane (right along the cement divider, not in a traffic lane)
of the eastbound West Seattle freeway at about 7:20 yesterday morning
got up and over the bridge?When I saw him/her, the little feet were scurrying right along, and
however I felt about possums, I wanted him to get to safety!
Just went by to visually confirm a reader tip: The Java Bean/Luna Park crosswalk is gone.
Was it a preview of Life Without The Viaduct? The Battery Street Tunnel closed for a while at peak commute time this morning because of an accident, and that meant an hour-plus from WS to downtown. Another reason to check traffic reports BEFORE you hit the road (oops).
In June, the state said wi-fi service would be on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferry run by July 16th. Didn’t happen. Now there’s a new date: August 13th.
We haven’t updated WS gas prices for a while; the price situation has stayed relatively stable. Arco on Delridge by Home Depot retains the title of WS Gas Station With The Lowest Posted Price, $2.87 as of early this afternoon (photo left); more than half a dozen other stations are in the $2.90s. This all puts us way below the state that now has the highest prices in the nation (Nebraska!), and even below the national average.
The Vespa enthusiasts who are rallying in Seattle this weekend headed out WS way today. Chris sent us word of his Flickr page with video and pix after spotting the huge group coming off the low bridge. Looks like they were headed to the Fauntleroy ferry dock for a ride to Vashon, so watch out for the procession heading the other way later this afternoon.
Just so you’re not startled trying to drive through The Junction tonight or tomorrow morning even before the festival begins — the city reminds us that the road closures for Summer Fest kick in at 6 tonight and continue till late Sunday night. (And in an outside-WS note, if you need to travel to the Eastside, remember this is one of those “520 bridge shutdown” weekends, 11 pm Friday till 5 am Monday.)
One side of the marquee atop Java Bean Coffee on Avalon pleads, SAVE OUR CROSSWALK!!!! The crosswalk in question is in the foreground of this photo, near a bus stop and a stretch of Avalon where many patrons of Java Bean and neighboring Luna Park Cafe have to park (and cross) since those businesses have a small lot:
We wrote Java Bean boss Tony Hoyt to find out what’s going on. He pointed us to this city Transportation Department webpage, which says in part:
SDOT has completed a technical analysis of the unsignalized marked crosswalk at SW Avalon Way and SW Orleans Street. This crosswalk no longer meets our recommended guidelines and will be removed.
Which makes no sense to Tony, who summarized the situation this way in a group e-mail he sent out this week:
The city of Seattle wants to remove the crosswalk from in front of the West Seattle Java Bean. A few years ago they removed a flashing, yellow caution light from above the crosswalk and one of my employees was struck by a car and nearly killed. Now they want to remove the crosswalk entirely. This crosswalk is 50 feet from two Bus stops and the city just installed two sidewalk cut away ramps last summer… now they want to remove the crosswalk. I guess this will make it safer for those older folks and citizens in wheel chairs to cross the street.
Tony says it would make more sense to restore the overhead warning light than to remove the crosswalk. We found an even more impassioned account (including more on what happened to the accident victim mentioned by Tony) written up here. Meantime, even though the city webpage makes this sound like a done deal, they’re still asking for comments; click to e-mail them.
The city is selling some of the old street signs it has been replacing (we’d estimate two-thirds of the signs around WS already have been replaced). The inventory list (with prices) includes some WS signs.
The city now says Admiral will only have to close for one full night as part of the latest phase of the repaving process: 7 pm tonight till 6 am Friday, it will be closed between Olga and 41st. More in the city’s latest project update here.
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