by Kirby Lindsay, posted 26 June 2013
Roadways came under scrutiny at the June 2013 meeting of the Fremont Neighborhood Council (FNC,) as they have at several of the meetings this year. The organization held discussions on several projects – new and old.
Street Crossings
Christian Silk lives on N 39th St and he is working with his neighbors to create safer ways for pedestrians to cross this road, between Leary Way and Fremont Ave N. Silk reported that the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has surveyed the street and said that there aren’t enough pedestrians crossing at any one corner. He described it as a chicken & egg dilemma – without a marked crossing, everyone crosses everywhere, so the City won’t mark a crossing.
Silk and his neighbors have started a website, and a promotional campaign, to educate pedestrians about the issue, and ask them to cross N 39th at the corner of Phinney Avenue N to create a concentration of numbers. Right now they haven’t got a firm plan for what they want – a crosswalk, signal or speed reduction efforts by the Seattle Police Department – but Silk would like to ask the FNC for money, in the future, to fund their outreach efforts and Board Members encouraged him to submit a formal request.
Later in the meeting, FNC Board Member Matt Gasparich updated his efforts to create a crossing of Fremont Avenue N near N 43rd St. He submitted a proposal to fund building a crosswalk under the Seattle Neighborhood Park & Street Fund, but it didn’t win the vote of support from the Lake Union District Council (although they suggested he submit again in 2014.)
Gasparich, and the Board, still have a dilemma about the location of the crosswalk. The FNC wants it where N 43rd meets Fremont Ave from the west, but business owners in the area – now called the Top Of The Universe – asked for it where N 43rd meets Fremont Ave from the east, at the Fremont Abbey Arts Center and Pecado Bueno. According to Jessica Vets, Executive Director for the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, “they want a safe crossing,” above all else, but she also noted that they’d prefer to preserve as many street parking spaces as possible.
Jonathan Dong, of SDOT, also attended this discussion and he suggested (when asked) that the FNC continue to refine the proposal – location and design – so that when funding is located, SDOT staff will have less to do in garnering neighborhood support and planning.
Aurora Corridor & The RapidRide E Line
Dong came to the meeting, with David Cantey of King County METRO, to inform the FNC about proposed changes to Aurora Avenue from N 38th St to N 125th St. Dong focused on changes coming to the Fremont portion of the roadway – specifically creation of a Business Access & Transit (BAT) lane to be installed for use at peak traffic hours. At certain hours of the day, these lanes will be available for use by transit buses and right-turn vehicles only.
Also, in February 2014, the RapidRide E Line will travel up and down Aurora Avenue. Cantey explained that this will almost entirely replace the METRO route #358 – and rider Gasparich praised efforts to create a safer, quicker route through this area. The RapidRide E will stop less often and move more swiftly, with three doors for swifter loading and unloading of passengers. Payment by ORCA cards allow riders to board even faster. A Fremont resident asked why the bus still accepts cash payments, and Cantey acknowledged that METRO is trying to get people to buy cards, “but people from outside Seattle still use cash.”
Dong explained that public outreach on Aurora Corridor Improvements, and the RapidRide line, will accept public comment until July 5th through an on-line survey, at 684-Road@seattle.gov or 206/684-ROAD.
Roadway Art – Signal Box Improvements
Gasparich distributed four proposed designs for painting by Urban ArtWorks on utility signal boxes around Fremont. The FNC voted to fund painting three boxes – and voted at the March meeting on which three to decorate. In May, Gasparich offered to find funding through his company for a fourth box – although Vets said that the Fremont Chamber still intends to vote to fund a box through its community grant program in July.
At this meeting, the Board decided to change the locations of the boxes to be decorated to:
- N 39th St & Fremont Avenue (near B.F. Day Elementary School)
- N 46th St & Aurora Avenue (at Aurora Avenue)
- N 36th St & Dayton Avenue
- N 50th St & Fremont Avenue (at Woodland Park Zoo)
Of the original boxes selected, two were only accessible on three-sides (not four,) which led the group to prefer other boxes. Also, a priority was given to one of the more frequently vandalized signal boxes.
The designs themselves drew plenty of praise, but no specific feedback although a suggestion was made that the colors of the final paintings be taken from the same palette to make future repairs easier.
Miscellaneous
The meeting contained many other discussions beyond these highlights. For one thing, the FNC thanked Jenny Frankl, who will be leaving her post as our representative with the Department of Neighborhoods. (Karen Ko has been assigned as Fremont’s new coordinator.) As FNC Board President Stephanie Pure praised, “Jenny has been awesome and excellent!”
And another: Vets asked for feedback on the 2013 Fremont Fair. When asked, she reported on a very mixed response to the time change, and its impacts, but she also acknowledged that she hasn’t been given much feedback yet. Comments can be submitted at director@fremont.com or 206/632-1500.
Finally, Pure invited everyone back to the next FNC meeting – on July 22nd at 7p at Doric Lodge #92 – when City Council Candidates Mike O’Brien (incumbent,) and Albert Shen (challenger,) will be allowed to address the meeting. Come learn more about the candidates, the work of the FNC and this organization that represents residential concerns in Fremont!
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©2013 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.