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Northwest Sector
Galer St / Dexter Ave N, map
Respondent #12, 7/1/08
Traffic along Dexter Ave in the south direction tends to be pretty fast due to the downhill. At these speeds, drivers do not see the crosswalk until it is too late to stop. Both pictures show traffic zooming through the intersection while someone is waiting to cross. Some drivers who stop too quickly have caused accidents. I was involved in an accident on a rainy morning this last Spring as a pedestrian. A vehicle stopped very quickly for me to cross, but the vehicle behind him was going too fast to stop on the slick road. That vehicle crashed into the first vehicle, pushing first vehicle into my path. I was less than an inch from being hit. Additionally, vehicles parked on the west side of the street block visibility of pedestrians to oncoming vehicles. Since there is a turn lane on this street, vehicles tend not stop for crossing pedestrians if they are still on the opposite side of the crosswalk.
Seattle Department of Transportation (SDoT) Response
After a field visit, we noted some improvements that could be done to improve visibility for pedestrians and vehicles. The existing crosswalk signing will be upgraded to our new standard of fluorescent yellow-green signs. We will also place stop bars in advance of the marked crosswalk with accompanying signs alerting motorists of where to stop when pedestrians are present. You should notice these changes happening with the next 2 - 4 weeks (from July 7, 2008).
Thank you again for taking the time to write. We appreciate your concern with wanting our neighborhoods and city to be safe and accessible for pedestrians. If you have additional questions or concerns about pedestrian or bicycle issues, feel free to contact the Pedestrian and Bicycle Program directly at walkandbike@seattle.gov or by phone at (206) 684-7583.
Back to Northwest Sector list of critical crossings.
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