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Northwest Sector
NW Market Street / 1st Ave NW, map
Respondent #21, 11/21/08
I live on a residential street that is seriously abused by traffic. There is even an un marked cross-walk - Market Street & 1st Avenue NW. With people short-cutting all day - someone is going to get hurt. Do you want to help?
Seattle Department of Transportation (SDoT) Response
Staff members from our Neighborhood Traffic Operations section have worked with area residents concerning speeds on 1st Avenue NW. Recent speed studies have shown that traffic is generally observing the legal speed limit and that traffic volumes are not unusual in comparison to similar residential streets.
We have also evaluated pedestrian safety issues at the intersection. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) cannot recommend marking a crosswalk at the intersection of NW Market Street and 1st Avenue NW without an accompanying traffic signal. Although the legal responsibility of a driver is the same whether or not a crosswalk is marked or unmarked, characteristics of this particular intersection suggest that a marked crosswalk will not provide the benefit that pedestrians require in order to cross in comfort. This includes the number of lanes on NW Market Street and the curves in the road.
However, neither a full traffic signal nor a pedestrian traffic signal is supported at the intersection, based on the physical features of the particular location, gaps in traffic, volumes of vehicles and pedestrians, and the proximity of other traffic signals.
Again, thank you for writing.
Back to Northwest Sector list of critical crossings.
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