2019 Year in Review

2019 Year in Review

Just incredible. 2019 was truly the biggest year yet for Seattle Neighborhood Greenways. Thanks to everyone who made it possible, and here's to even more progress in 2020! Jump to what interests you most:
  • Big Picture Overview⁠—from director Gordon Padelford
  • Citywide Wins
  • Reports from the Neighborhoods - South
  • Reports from the Neighborhoods - Central
  • Reports from the Neighborhoods - North  

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    Big Picture Overview⁠—from director Gordon Padelford

    Thank you for being a part of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways’ people-powered movement. What an extraordinary year it’s been!

    Despite some early setbacks, we’ve won some hard-fought victories this year. I think we--advocates, allies, volunteers, and supporters alike--can rightly give ourselves a collective pat on the back.

    Step by step, we’re getting closer to that shared vision where Seattle's streets unite neighborhoods and connect people to where they need to go. Where walking and biking are convenient, safe, comfortable, and even joyful. Where children are able to walk and bike to school and parks. Seniors are able to stay active and connected. Where our streets and transportation systems are truly accessible and welcoming, and reflect the needs of people of every age, language, ethnicity, gender, race, ability, and level of wealth.  

    At SNG, we know that achieving this vision will give us choices for how to get around, keep us safer, save us money, reduce climate pollution, and so much more!

    We’re making progress towards this vision thanks to our focus on collaborations and big structural changes. We have an amazing grassroots network of local groups all across the city and partnerships with a wide range of other organizations. Take our work with the Move All Seattle Sustainably (MASS) Coalition. Together, we won big structural changes in 2019, including:

    * Funding for the first-ever Seattle School District position dedicated to helping kids walk and bike to school.

    * One of the best complete-streets policies in the country, making it harder for the city to cancel or delay planned bike projects when doing major roadwork.

    * Safer speed limits for busy streets citywide.

    We also know that for structural change to be successful we need to make our streets reflect the needs of all people. In 2019, we took another step along this journey, internally, by adopting a Racial Equity Action Plan and conducting trainings for staff and volunteers. Externally, we forged new relationships with partners like the Duwamish Tribe, to fight for a crosswalk to their longhouse and cultural center, and contracted with youth in South Park for door-to-door outreach to ensure the Georgetown-South Park Trail reflects the needs of Seattle’s largest Latinx community.

    And the good news is that we’re seeing some encouraging trends, like the 900% growth in the number of people biking on 2nd Ave since the bike lanes have been protected and extended to more neighborhoods. More importantly, we know we’re making a positive difference in people's lives, which is what keeps me coming back to work everyday. For instance, we recently heard from a dad in North Seattle who told us that more kids are walking and biking to school year-round than ever. Perhaps you're seeing some of these changes as well---please let us know if you are!

    Thank you for being a part of this people-powered movement. Your time, energy, and financial support has made a huge difference in 2019, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together next year!

     

    Gordon Padelford

    Executive Director

    Seattle Neighborhood Greenways

        Jump back to the top

    Citywide Wins

    Big Steps Towards Vision Zero

    After the worst year in a decade for deaths and serious injuries on our city streets, the Mayor announced a major effort towards Vision Zero, including lowered speed limits on all arterials, cracking down on enforcement of drivers that run red lights, and creating a Vision Zero Task Force to address the issue like the public health crisis that it is. These are huge steps forward, and we will continue to advocate to redesign our most dangerous streets, and to lower speed limits on state routes like Aurora Ave N and Lake City Way.

    Safe Places for People to Walk and Roll

    It’s unacceptable that one quarter of all streets in Seattle lack sidewalks. We advocated for and won an additional $11 million in funding for new sidewalks and accessibility improvements for arterials. Additionally, we advanced two Home Zone pilots--a holistic, community-focused, solution making it safer to walk on non-arterial streets without sidewalks for a fraction of the cost. We also won funding to continue this cost effective program in 2020.

    Safe Routes to School: New Staff for Public Schools

    We also have good news to report about keeping kids happy and healthy walking and biking to school. We took the time this year to build relationships at ten schools across Seattle to learn more about each school community’s needs and work to mobilize caring parents, teachers, and neighbors. We’re already seeing results: five new school zone speeding cameras will be installed in 2020, and for the first time, there will now be a Seattle School District employee dedicated to organizing crossing guards, walking school buses, bike trains, and safety projects.

    Additional Systemic Changes

    We’ve worked hard to combat the status quo through big systemic changes to our transportation system. By working with allied organizations such as MASS Coalition, we were able to pass a majority of the MASS Transportation Package, including new policies for construction and maintenance of our streets and intersections, and the structure of the Seattle Department of Transportation:
        1. Complete Streets

    Inspired by a Cambridge, Massachusetts ordinance, City Council passed an ordinance requiring that planned bike lanes are included in large repaving projects except in rare circumstances. This will save money and time for the City, and also make it significantly harder for political winds to delay or cancel planned bike routes.
        1. Sidewalks Maintenance

    This year, City Council required SDOT to develop a plan for addressing maintenance of our city’s sidewalks, including both removal of snow, ice, and vegetation and also a systemic, sustainable solution for fixing the 150,000 documented hazards on our sidewalks. These range from small cracks that people could trip on to places where the sidewalk is completely impassable, especially for people using wheelchairs and other mobility devices. In collaboration with disability rights advocates at Rooted in Rights, we recommended that the City assess models like those used in Denver, with a built-in equity filter and progressive subsidy system so that the financial burden of improving mobility for all doesn’t fall on low-income property owners.
        1. Bike Path Maintenance

    Similarly, Seattle City Council also required SDOT to present a plan for the maintenance of existing bicycle infrastructure. Currently, maintenance is reactive and complaint-based, resulting in bike routes that are hard to use, unwelcoming, and sometimes erased by the passage of time. We’re also concerned that a complaint-based system leads to routes in wealthier or whiter neighborhoods being maintained more often than those in other parts of the city. We are pushing for a plan that standardizes maintenance so that the program relies less on complaints and all communities across the city can have safe and well-cared for bike infrastructure.
        1. Traffic Signal Policy

    We’re also advocating for a better traffic signals policy, so people don’t have to wait so long to cross the street, don’t have to push “beg buttons,” and other tweaks that will make it safer and more convenient for people to cross the street. This year, SDOT began implementing “head starts” for people walking at every intersection, which give pedestrians the green light a few seconds before vehicles. In 2020, SDOT will present the rest of their policy to prioritize people walking.
        1. Funding for SDOT's Transportation Equity Program

    As a part of Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative, SDOT created a Transportation Equity Program, and this year, assembled a workgroup to identify and address systemic and structural equity issues. Given that race and racism still play a huge role in determining a person’s ability to get where they need to go in Seattle, we successfully advocated for the funding needed to continue this program and ensure that the workgroup has staff and resources needed to continue this important work and implement solutions department-wide.     Jump back to the top

    Reports from the Neighborhoods - South

  • SE Seattle Bike Connections

  • Built this year: Two East-West protected bike lane routes in SE Seattle (S Columbian Way and S Othello St), connecting people to light rail stations and other community destinations; and a North-South protected bike lane along Wilson Ave. Coming soon: Southeast Seattle currently does not have a single safe and convenient connection for people riding bikes to the rest of Seattle. We advocated for, and won, $10.35 million dollars that will go towards building the Georgetown to South Park Trail, the Beacon Ave Trail, or a Martin Luther King Jr. Way South protected bike lane--or partially constructing some combination of all three! There is still more work to be done to fully bridge the $32 million gap for bike projects that were included in the 2019 Bicycle Implementation Plan (released earlier this year without allocated funding), but this is a huge step forward.
  • A Safe Crossing to the Duwamish Longhouse

  • We advocated with the Duwamish Tribe for a safe crossing of West Marginal Way SW between the Duwamish Longhouse on one side of the street and Herring House Park, parking lots, and the Duwamish Trail on the other. Tour groups and school field trips are unwilling to risk the danger, which limits the Tribe’s economic and engagement opportunities. Together with local SNG groups West Seattle Bike Connections, Duwamish Valley Safe Streets, and other partners, we were able to secure funding to design the crossing, which includes train tracks and multiple lanes of busy freight traffic. The advocacy work continues in order to ensure that the route is actually constructed and people can safely access this important cultural and community center.
  • A Community Effort for the Georgetown to South Park Trail

  • Neighbors from Georgetown and South Park made significant strides this year towards the long-awaited Georgetown-South Park Trail. After extensive community-led outreach through in-person and online surveys, and outreach at events in English and Spanish, Duwamish Valley Safe Streets announced SDOT’s proposed routing at a community celebration and installed wayfinding signs along the future route. The project secured funding from two different sources and will be constructed in 2021-2022.
  • Pedestrian Safety for Rainier

  • Thanks in part to years worth of community outreach and advocacy by SNG's local group, Rainier Valley Greenways, safety improvements were made to a number of intersections along Rainier Ave S -- including built curb bulbs and a raised crosswalk at Graham & Rainier, a built curb bulb and rebuilt sidewalk at Holly & Rainier, and new bus lanes along Rainier. See more details about the planned improvements along Rainier Ave. In January, look for a transportation and racial equity presentation by Rainier Valley Greenways at the annual MLK Day celebration at Garfield High School.
  • Safe Routes to Transit

  • Thanks to your grassroots advocacy, Sound Transit will be (partially) funding better walking and biking access to light rail stations in Southeast Seattle. It is part of a larger slate of improvements to the whole Sound Transit system, and will be a huge advancement for safe and convenient access to transit.      
  • South Park Home Zone

  • The Home Zone Pilot had a successful first year! Home Zones are an idea brought to Seattle by Seattle Neighborhood Greenways to build cost-effective, community-based solutions for neighborhoods without safe places to walk. We brought South Park residents together to collaboratively plan and design their pilot Home Zone. Planning activities included a BBQ meet-up at Marra Farm, a walking tour of the proposed improvements, a focus group meet-up at Concord International Elementary, and lot of door-to-door outreach. In early 2020, the community will hold a hands-on workshop to build planter boxes, celebrate the new speed humps, and review designs for further street safety improvements. Read more about Seattle's Home Zone Program in Next City.     Jump back to the top
     

    Reports from the Neighborhoods - Central

  • Three Huge Connections for the Basic Bike Network

  • The 2nd Ave bike lane now connects to South Lake Union in the north (via 9th Ave to the Westlake Trail), to Capitol Hill in the east (via Pike St to the Broadway protected bike lanes), and to the International District in the south (via 5th Ave and Main St to the King St neighborhood greenway and Dearborn protected bike lanes)! These connections have encouraged <a href="http://Text: The 2nd Ave bike lane now connects to South Lake Union in the north (via 9th Ave to the Westlake Trail), to Capitol Hill in the east (via Pike St to the Broadway protected bike lanes), and to the International District in the south (via 5th Ave and Main St to the King St neighborhood greenway and Dearborn protected bike lanes)! These connections have encouraged 1,700 more people to bike on 2nd Ave every day.">1,700 more people to bike on 2nd Ave every day.  
  • Connecting to the Seattle Center on Thomas St

  • Everyone should be able to get safely and conveniently to the Seattle Center and the new arena that is opening in 2021, but right now there is no family-friendly east-west route. That’s why we are so excited that we won funding and a new design for Thomas St that will include a safe crossing of Aurora Ave, a new plaza, and a thirty-two feet wide walking and biking path. This win was made possible thanks to Councilmember Sally Bagshaw’s incredible leadership for this project, and support from the Seattle Parks Foundation, the Uptown Alliance, and many others.
  • A Community Comes Together at Bailey-Gatzert Elementary

  • This year, Central Seattle Greenways collaborated with parents, administrators, neighborhood allies, and community organizations to help get kids safely to school at Bailey-Gatzert Elementary. The school sits at the intersection of three major arterial streets, a location so dangerous that crossing guards have been hit by speeding vehicles here, but kids were also facing pressure from gang recruiters. Community-identified solutions include infrastructure improvement recommendations, walking school buses, and more.
  • Queen Anne Greenways' Annual Play Streets

  • This summer, Queen Anne Greenways once again filled the streets with community fun at two annual Playstreets. The group closed a block of 1st Ave West adjacent to the Queen Anne Farmer’s Market to cars and opened it up for family fun and community building. Relatedly, SDOT is working to encourage more people centered street events through their revamped People Streets Program.        
  • Sidewalk Cafes for Seattle

  • In 2019, the city made it easier for small businesses to create sidewalk-cafe style seating while maintaining access for people walking and rolling. Now there are over 400 permitted sidewalk cafes, many in central Seattle, which help to enliven our streets as places for people!         Jump back to the top
     

    Reports from the Neighborhoods - North

  • Broadview Home Zone

  • The Home Zone Pilot had a successful first year! Home Zones are an idea brought to Seattle by Seattle Neighborhood Greenways to build cost-effective, community-based solutions for neighborhoods without safe places to walk. We brought Broadview residents together to collaboratively plan and design their pilot Home Zone. The neighborhood celebrated this fall with a kickoff event, featuring speed humps, planter boxes and signage. Construction is still underway, and will be completed in 2020. Catch this write-up about Seattle's Home Zone Program in <a href="http://The Home Zone Pilot had a successful first year! Home Zones are an idea brought to Seattle by Seattle Neighborhood Greenways to build cost-effective, community-based solutions for neighborhoods without safe places to walk. We brought Broadview residents together to collaboratively plan and design their pilot Home Zone. The neighborhood celebrated this fall with a kickoff event, featuring speed humps, planter boxes and signage. Construction is still underway, and will be completed in 2020. Catch this write-up about Seattle’s Home Zone Program in Next City.  
  • Access to Future Light Rail Stations

  • 2019 saw the construction of protected bike lanes along NE 65th St and a new neighborhood greenway along N 100th St connecting to the future light rail stations in the Roosevelt and Northgate neighborhoods!          
  • Record Broken for Fremont Bridge Bike Route

  • Investments in bike infrastructure are working! The Fremont Bridge bike counter hit the one million mark a whole month earlier than last year. Total 2019 counts are up 12% over last year, and counts for Nov 2019 (after completion of connecting routes downtown) were a full 20% higher than the previous all-time record. Neighbors from Queen Anne Greenways, Ballard-Fremont Greenways, and Cascade Bicycle Club came together to hand out snacks and goodies, thanking people as they rode their bikes past.  
  • A Neighborhood Greenway for 6th Ave NW

  • A team of neighbors in Ballard came together to address cut-through traffic and speeding in their neighborhood. After extensive community outreach and organizing, SDOT will construct a neighborhood greenway on 6th Ave (NW 43rd to NW 50th St). The neighbors will continue to push for the next section next year, to NW 58th St, West Woodland Elementary, and beyond. Read more on this inspiring community effort.      
  • Safe Routes to Whitman Middle School

  • Whitman Middle School students now have a safe and accessible way to cross busy Holman Road. This crossing was the passion project of Ballard-Fremont Greenways member Selena Carsiotis. You made it to the end! Thanks for reading. If you love the work we're doing all across Seattle, please consider a gift of support today.       Jump back to the top