Support City Council legislation to address serious pedestrian infrastructure improvements in Seattle

RantWoman is shamelessly posting combined text of two rounds of email public comment for the Seattle City Council consideration of a sidewalk ordinance.

If RantWoman lived up to the documentary completeness she aspires to maintain, RantWoman would go find the link for the hearing video on the Seattle City Council web page. There will be another vote in the transportation committee and hopefully RantWoman will have time to review the video for particular points to focus further attention on. 

In the meantime: 

To the members of the Seattle City Council.

I write in strong support of the proposed ordinance organized by Disability Rights WA as noted in this letter.

  Disability Rights WA letter regarding sidewalk ordinance regarding the

following proposed ordinance. This is for proposed CB 120658.

I am not able to attend the hearing and do not have clearly worded

amendments I might ask to be considered but I would like to note the

following concerns:

First, local, national and international media are full of outrage

about the circumstances of Jaahnavi Kandula's death. As the IACS

statement notes, this tragedy is fraught with serious police

accountability issues. However, at its core,  this situation has many

factors in common with other pedestrian deaths and serious injuries in

Seattle and national: driver speed, size of vehicle, obstructed view

for both driver and pedestrian, and poor pedestrian infrastructure

including lack of traffic signals and even minimal sidewalks and

street crossings.

I have actually walked the Dexter and Thomas intersection where

Jaahnavi was killed. I walked it one night after the crash. Based on

my vision and the lighting I did not even try to cross Dexter Avenue

but instead walked all the way to Mercer to cross with a traffic

signal. I was not even particularly comfortable trying to cross Dexter

in broad daylight for one of the recent vigils until there was a clump

of other people also trying to cross.

Returning concerns documented in the DRW letter, the City also has a

prioritization rubric of sidewalk segments needing improvement because

they are required for continuous travel networks related to several

categories of services and activities. Seattle needs to set aggressive

targets to make progress in terms of this rubric.

I also strongly support the mandate to include evaluation of sidewalk

issues in all construction projects. In addition I am aware that there

are 3 light rail stations (counting 145th st) due to open in the

next few years. All of these stations exist in walksheds where there

are many sidewalks already needing improvement and the city needs to

take that into account if these areas are not already addressed by the

points above.

Finally, the Public Right of Way Accessibility Guidelines, PROWAG are

headed toward final rulemaking through the US Department of Justice

and Department of Transportation. This will mean new regulatory

standards for pedestrian network compliance with the Americans with

Disabilities Act.  I am not in a position tonight to discuss all that

PROWAG should mean for the city. However in recent discussions through

the American Council of the Blind Transportation and Environmental

Access committee,  we do want to emphasize ALWAYS for all new traffic

signals using Accessible Pedestrian Signals with particular emphasis

on need for APS whenever Seattle DOT wants to implement Leading

Pedestrian Interval signal cycles.

Thank you very much for noting all of these considerations. I hope

this ordinance advances and that funding for safe continuous

pedestrian networks that meet new accessibility standards will be

included in the upcoming transportation levy.

Sincerely

(RantWoman)

And Furthermore

To the members of Seattle city Council

With the last couple years both New York City and Chicago have settled

lawsuits with targets for bringing pedestrian infrastructure up to ADA

standards.

People new to the Council may not remember Reynoldson et al v Seattle also

known as the Crappy Curb suit.

This ordinance is intended to promote actual progress toward accessibility

not just more legal cases.

Best

(RantWoman)