ALASKAN WAY VIADUCT SAFETY AND TRANSITION PLAN

Now that the project partners have selected the tunnel as the preferred alternative for replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall, the hard work of seeking to identify the funding resources is underway. The task of raising some $4 billion is a daunting one, and it is not clear whether or when it will be possible to determine that enough funding is in place to proceed with demolition and reconstruction.

However, the safety issues cannot wait. As the project proceeds into the Final Environmental Impact Statement process (expected to be completed in the next year), and full engineering and fund-raising go forward, I have insisted that we also design a "Safety and Transition Plan" to improve our odds of managing mobility if the Viaduct has to be shut down due to further damage.

One component of the "Safety and Transition Plan" is the Emergency Closure Plan. The Emergency Closure Plan provides guidance to manage traffic in the event of an unanticipated emergency closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. While the nature and scope of an emergency are unpredictable, the intent of the Plan is to provide for the movement of people and freight locally and throughout the region, as well as specific access to and from downtown Seattle.

No one wants to be caught the way we were with the massive traffic jam that occurred on January 10. I am determined to keep the traffic engineers hard at work until we have an Emergency Closure Plan that is as effective as possible.

The Council will hold a special evening meeting of the Transportation Committee on Monday, February 28, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM in City Hall to hear a briefing from the Seattle Department of Transportation and the Washington State Department of Transportation on their updated draft of an Alaskan Way Viaduct Emergency Closure Plan. This briefing will last from 5:30 to 6:30, and will be followed by a public forum for comments and suggestions on the proposal.

Completing the Emergency Closure Plan is the first step in a series of actions that comprise my proposed Safety and Transition Plan. This plan was adopted unanimously by the Council on Monday, January 10, as Resolution 30725, "establishing a framework for an Alaskan Way Viaduct/Seawall Project Safety and Transition Plan to effectively manage potential emergency closures and the lengthy transition to the changes in the transportation corridor, consisting of an Emergency Closure Plan, a Construction Strategy, the Center City Access Strategy, a Flexible Transportation Strategy, and a Targeted Investment Strategy, and creating meaningful public involvement opportunities related to these plans and strategies."

The Safety and Transition Plan begins with contingency measures to manage emergency shutdowns. But it will also include making pedestrian, bicycle, freight, and transit systems flow more effectively, and making targeted investments to manage vehicle traffic through and around downtown. These investments could include completing railroad overpasses south of downtown, expanding the Spokane Street viaduct, reconstructing the Spokane Street/I-5 interchange, reconnecting the grid as part of a two-way Mercer plan, and taking advantage of the repaving of I-5 to reconfigure and improve capacity on I-5. If we put these investments in place, we can provide alternatives that will help to avoid the gridlock that occurred on January 10, and that would occur in the event of an emergency closure of the Viaduct in the future.

The Council places a high priority on public involvement in working on this plan, and the February 28 meeting is the first step in educating the public and seeking their input as the plan develops. The Council will spend much of 2005 working on the Safety and Transition Plan, while the engineering, environmental work, and fund-raising proceeds on the long-range solution. This work should result in a better-prepared city, and a system that will help secure mobility for our future.

Back to Contents

SOUND TRANSIT ROOSEVELT ALIGNMENT

On Thursday, January 27, the Sound Transit Board voted unanimously to locate the North Link Light Rail Roosevelt station along 12th Avenue N.E. between N.E. 65 St. and N.E. 67 St, the station location preferred by the Roosevelt neighborhood. This is a victory for the people of Roosevelt, for the neighborhood planning process, and for smart growth linking transit with great community development.

The Roosevelt community ran a very savvy grassroots campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Sound Transit Board. They used the slogan YIMFY (Yes, In My Front Yard!) as a theme.

The Seattle City Council has long supported the Roosevelt community in their call for a 12th Avenue station. Five years ago, as Chair of the Neighborhoods Committee, I led the Council in approving the Roosevelt Neighborhood Plan calling for a transit hub in the commercial core of the neighborhood. As Chair of the Transportation Committee, in the last year I have also led the Council in passing a resolution and sending a letter to the Sound Transit board, signed by all nine Councilmembers, endorsing that route.

Although the 12th Avenue alignment will be slightly more costly than the 8th Avenue alignment, the Council supported the 12th Avenue station location for three main reasons:

1. This location would be better integrated into the Roosevelt commercial area and would support the commercial vitality of that neighborhood. The Roosevelt Neighborhood Plan calls for development of a "town center" with a transit hub in the core to anchor commercial development. The 12th Avenue location also offers better transit connections to existing Metro bus lines.
2. The 12th Avenue location offers many more opportunities for transit-oriented development. It is at the heart of an increasingly dense neighborhood with several current and future mixed-use development projects under construction. The alternative 8th Avenue location offers very limited development opportunities because it is bordered on one side by I-5 and on the other by single-family residences.
3. The Roosevelt, Green Lake and Ravenna neighborhoods unanimously prefer the 12th Avenue location. Community support of transit projects minimizes the possibility of litigation and is more likely to lead to an increased ridership, thus lending to the long-term success of North Link.

The people of the Roosevelt neighborhood are among the strongest supporters of mass transit in the city. When the community embraces a transportation project, it's both a pleasure and a responsibility to support them.

Many observers have suggested that the Sound Transit Board might not have chosen the 12th Avenue station if they had voted in May of 2004, as they had originally planned to do. At that time, several of the Seattle representatives were reportedly leaning towards the 8th Avenue alignment. The seven months of additional study not only allowed additional engineering that cut the projected cost difference in half, but allowed Sound Transit Board members to tour the neighborhood and understand how much better the 12th Avenue location would work as a transit hub. It's a good argument for making transportation decisions carefully and thoughtfully rather than in haste without the benefit of full information.

Back to Contents

POCKET BIKES

On Tuesday, January 25, the City Council and the Seattle Police Department announced that "pocket bikes", "pocket rockets" and similar mini motorcycles are illegal to use on public roadways, as well as on sidewalks, bike lanes, trails, parks, and wherever the use of motorized vehicles is prohibited. This announcement was based on assessing the characteristics of these devices, and determining that they fit into the category of motorcycles but do not have the required safety provisions that make motorcycles street legal.

SPD has determined that there are serious safety risks with these vehicles, and they are very hazardous to operate in traffic. The issue has become more salient since they have often been bought as toys, and were very popular gifts over the holidays.

Since pocket bikes generally measure only 12 to 18 inches in height, visibility is a serious concern. The Seattle Police Department has reported at least one collision, in which a Metro Bus struck a pocket bike. The operator of the pocket bike was seriously injured.

Pocket bikes meet the legal definition of a motorcycle. However, they don't meet many of the equipment requirements necessary for legal operation on roadways. The defined requirements are outlined in statutes and include: a minimum wheel base of three feet six inches (RCW 46.44.050); minimum headlamp height of 24 inches (RCW 46.37.523); minimum tail lamp height of 15 inches (RCW 46.37.525); two mirrors (RCW 46.37.400); pneumatic rubber tires (RCW 46.37.420); and others.

Pocket bikes are also not manufactured with a conforming 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN). The absence of a VIN number indicates that the manufacturer does not meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), which are required if a motor vehicle is operated on public roads. Drivers of motorcycles must also have a valid driver's license, a motorcycle endorsement, and must wear a helmet.

The Seattle Police Department may take enforcement action against those who operate pocket bikes on public roadways and areas that prohibit their use, with penalties starting at $101. It is a misdemeanor crime for parents to permit their child, under the age of eighteen, to drive a motor vehicle on any public roadway. This means parents can be held accountable if youths under 18 are found using pocket bikes on public property.

The Seattle Police Department plans a major education campaign around this issue, and will likely give riders a warning the first time they are found operating on the streets. However, SPD also has the authority to issue citations and to impound these devices as safety hazards.

Back to Contents

QUOTE
"A great nation is not saved by wars; it is saved by acts without external picturesqueness; by speaking, writing, voting reasonably; by smiting corruption swiftly; by good temper between parties; by the people knowing true men when they see them, and preferring them as leaders to rabid partisans or empty quacks."

--William James

DEEP THOUGHT:
"The essence of political responsibility is being able to concentrate on what is really important for a long period of time until the problem is solved."

--Bill Clinton

Citizen participation and engagement are critical for maintaining democracy -- fostering it is a key task of elected officials. It's my hope that this newsletter will inform you about issues, inspire you to get involved, and that together we can make things work better in this great city. Please send me your feedback, so we can keep things lively, interesting, and useful. And please forward it along to friends who might be interested. You can get more information or send me feedback through the City Council website at http://cityofseattle.net/council/

Richard Conlin
Your Seattle City Councilmember

To subscribe to this list, send a message to: Majordomo@lists.speakeasy.org
In the body of the message, type: subscribe makingitwork
To unsubscribe, send a message to: Majordomo@lists.speakeasy.org
In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe makingitwork

Back to Contents

Back to MAKING IT WORK Newsletters