City Planning for Pedestrian Safety

[MSNBC]"As the two boys attempted to cross 15th Avenue [in Seattle], Messenger was hit in the head by the side mirror of a passing car [and went into a coma].
Just weeks before, Seattle officials had removed the crosswalk sign that had hung over 15th Avenue for years. They also eliminated crosswalks at two other high-traffic spots in Lower Queen Anne and Rainier Valley.
Their reasoning: Removing the crosswalks would actually make the streets safer for pedestrians. The traffic is too busy and the cars are moving too fast on those streets for people to cross safely, officials say."

My sincere condolences to the family of Nick Messenger. As a member of the City of Redmond Planning Commission, I want to assure you that we regard pedestrian safety as an issue of paramount concern. We're doing everything we can to ensure that tragedies like this never occur in our fair city.

While Seattle was removing pedestrian crosswalks and slackening development requirements over the last couple of years, the City of Redmond was busy collecting resident comments and drafting a progressive comprehensive plan ammendment that defined three classes of pedestrian safety: Pedestrian Supportive, Pedestrian Tolerant, and Pedestrian Intolerant. The plan stipulates that no future development shall be allowed to occur which creates a Pedestrian Intolerant environment, except under very limited circumstances. For a taste of what that means, check this out:

Planning Policy (conceptual foundation upon which all City Development Guidelines and budgetary decisions are based)

TR-31 Prepare and implement a Pedestrian Plan that will:

• Provide for a safe, convenient and coordinated system of sidewalks, trails, and pathways, including through routes, to meet needs for pedestrian transportation;
• Interconnect neighborhoods and be coordinated with the surrounding jurisdictions to allow people to conveniently travel between and within neighborhoods and local activity centers by using non-motorized means;
• Include a typology of pedestrian environments, using the following designations: "Pedestrian Places, Pedestrian Supportive Environments, Pedestrian Tolerant Environments and Pedestrian Intolerant Environments";
• Set a pedestrian plan objective such that all areas of Redmond provide no less than a pedestrian tolerant environment;
• Identify areas to be designated as pedestrian promenades, with pedestrian friendly environments;
• Prepare a planned pedestrian program at a citywide and neighborhood level, with a detailed description of the pedestrian facilities and environments to be achieved.

Transportation Master Plan (proposed development guidelines that follow from the general Planning Policies above) -- this is where the shoe rubber and the bicycle tire rubber hits the road. We're working on this plan now with a final draft expected by late spring 2005.  For a sneak peak at what Pedestrian Supportive, Tolerant, and Intolerant mean, see page 5A-4 in the Pedestrian Program Plan (still a proposed chapter).

The biggest change to the current revision of the Pedestrian Program Plan that I have proposed is: "Chapter 4 and 5 (applies to ped and bike): Both the Pedestrian Program Plan and the Bicycle System Plan must be updated to more adequately accomodate the need of residents, commuters, and emergency services personnel and vehicles to cross major transportation corridors/obstacles SAFELY and within a reasonable amount of time. To do so, we need to establish a new 1/2 mile crossing standard, which is double the 1/4 mile maximum distance between crossings for all other thoroughfares as defined in the Pedestrian Crossings Guidelines (5A.12)."

What would be the effect of my proposal be? Well, for one, the City and/or State would have to construct a much-needed bike/pedestrian bridge across SR520 from Redmond Town Center to central Marymoor Park. Currently, this project is in our long, long term plan but is unfunded. In bureacratic speak, that means that it won't be built for at least 30 years. If you strongly agree with my proposal, think that pedestrians shouldn't have to walk a mile out of their way to get from downtown to our lovely Marymoor park or from Redmond Main Campus in Overlake to RedWest on the West side of SR520, I strongly encourage you to email the Redmond City Council and let them know.