Find Your Valentine
Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, March 3, 2010
City SDOT Holds Up Seattle's Pedestrian Master Plan
Posted by Cienna Madrid on Wed, Mar 3, 2010 at 3:42 PM
Feet First is a nonprofit responsible for designing walking trail maps (they just finished northeast Seattle), walking neighborhood maps, maps of transit stations, and now, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood kiosks—the first of their kind in Seattle.
The kiosks are designed to support detailed walking maps and neighborhood histories (or whatever else the communities decide to promote). The project is in tune with Seattle's goal of becoming the most walkable city in the nation. Feet First works closely with communities (they're funded by the department of neighborhoods) to develop the kiosks, as with all their other projects.
But the Seattle Department of Transportation is holding up the development of kiosks in West Seattle, North Admiral, and along the waterfront. SDOT says the kiosks pose a liability issue. Getting permits from SDOT has also been an issue for Feet First, even though the neighborhoods are fully supportive of the process.
"They say we need to have a million dollars [stashed away] for each kiosk, to cover maintenance costs and graffiti," explains Lisa Quinn, executive director of Feet First. "We're looking at building five kiosks. That means having five million dollars saved away. Since we're funded by the neighborhoods, and they don't have that kind of money, it makes it pretty difficult to go ahead with the project." She adds that the group would like to see the kiosks be grouped as one package or project, instead of as individual projects.
Though the kiosk project might be seen as a small one, Quinn says it highlights the changes that need to be made for Seattle to be taken seriously as a walkable city. "Some of the rules, as they stand, make pedestrian advocacy pretty challenging. If we truly want to be the nation's most walkable city, we need to prioritize public space, land use, and zoning that promotes pedestrian use."
Jumping through so many hoops to get things done, especially on projects that are aligned with the city's agenda, is ridiculous. (Give the neighborhoods their kiosks, for Christ's sake.) Feet First is meeting with SDOT next week to (hopefully) hash out the liability and permitting issues.
1
Seattle aiming to become the most walkable city in the nation is approximately like Bend, Oregon aiming to become the center of the global financial market or La Crosse, Wisconsin aiming to become the nexus of the movie industry. It's not going to happen; it's not going to come close to happening; it's not even going to come closer to happening than it is now.
Fact: LA is more walkable than Seattle, and always will be.
Fact: LA is more walkable than Seattle, and always will be.
2
This is because SDOT didn't say "oh great, btw we will be glad to own those kiosks, just like we own all the street signs for auto drivers in the city."
They literally refuse to take ownership of pedestrian improvements.
They literally refuse to take ownership of pedestrian improvements.
3
Fnarf, you ignorant clod, have you ever tried to walk in LA?
As to the liability issue, they have a point - there are impacts from all the graffiti and removal of posters, people using giant tacks and giant staples, disposal issues, etc.
That said, we've had kiosks before. It's not like it's that big of a deal.
I know - let's hold more hearings and let City Council talk about for a few decades ...
As to the liability issue, they have a point - there are impacts from all the graffiti and removal of posters, people using giant tacks and giant staples, disposal issues, etc.
That said, we've had kiosks before. It's not like it's that big of a deal.
I know - let's hold more hearings and let City Council talk about for a few decades ...
5
All things considered, Seattle is very walkable, at least by a certain metric. It probably won't ever be the most walkable city, but a group with that as a goal can only bring improvements.
6
I listened to the Feet First rep at my neighborhood meeting in West Seattle. As far as I could tell the planned kiosk had all the charm and function of a mall 'you are here' directory.
Handy case I found myself on Delridge and needed a street diagram to reach the next closest kiosk planned for Admiral... 2.5 miles away.
If walkability is the goal, this ain't a priority.
Handy case I found myself on Delridge and needed a street diagram to reach the next closest kiosk planned for Admiral... 2.5 miles away.
If walkability is the goal, this ain't a priority.
7
LA has walkable neighborhoods and unwalkable ones, just like we do. LA, unlike Seattle, has a rich tradition of street food in its many ethnic neighborhoods. Seattle has nothing remotely similar to Koreatown or Echo Park or Pico-Union or a dozen other enclaves. We have the ID, which is really just a few blocks in each direction, some downtown neighborhoods, Capitol Hill, the U-District, and a handful of isolated strips widely scattered throughout the city, unlinked to each other and separated by many miles of nothingness just as desolate as anything LA has to offer.
Seattle's walkability is hugely overrated. Many of the walkable bits are separated not just by distance but by impassable pedestrian barriers marked by "do not cross this side" signs. Even Capitol Hill is surrounded by barriers. Yes, it's POSSIBLE to walk downtown or to the U or elsewhere, but it is usually deeply unpleasant and tiresome to do so, because there's nothing to see along way, or because you are basically walking alongside freeway traffic.
I live and work in an area that gets rated "very walkable", but in order to get from home to work I have to wait for seven and a half minutes at Stone Way and 50th -- the pedestrian light comes on every THREE TURNS of the traffic rotation -- and tramp through a quarter mile of mud and standing water in the so-called "bike lane" through Green Lake/Woodland Park.
Seattle's walkability is hugely overrated. Many of the walkable bits are separated not just by distance but by impassable pedestrian barriers marked by "do not cross this side" signs. Even Capitol Hill is surrounded by barriers. Yes, it's POSSIBLE to walk downtown or to the U or elsewhere, but it is usually deeply unpleasant and tiresome to do so, because there's nothing to see along way, or because you are basically walking alongside freeway traffic.
I live and work in an area that gets rated "very walkable", but in order to get from home to work I have to wait for seven and a half minutes at Stone Way and 50th -- the pedestrian light comes on every THREE TURNS of the traffic rotation -- and tramp through a quarter mile of mud and standing water in the so-called "bike lane" through Green Lake/Woodland Park.
8
Want to make the city more walkable? Spend the millions on sidewalks, not kiosks. Residential streets are pretty much sidewalk-free once you are north of 85th.
9
All I know is to be taken seriously as a walkable city sounds like a stupendous achievement.
I'm not quite clear on whom though. Taken seriously by whom? Whoever they are I bet it sucks to have the likes of them laugh in your city's face.
I'm not quite clear on whom though. Taken seriously by whom? Whoever they are I bet it sucks to have the likes of them laugh in your city's face.
11
@10, you skeptic, you. Kiosks are absolutely critical for the pedestrian experience, just like banners on lampposts are. Whoo hoo! "West Edge" in the hizzouse!
13
Unless there's some way to flatten out all of the hills, there will always be someplace more walkable. But, having walked this city a whole lot, you know what I have wished for? Sidewalks and safe, clean public bathrooms. Never have I been walking along and wished for a kiosk. Ever.
14
Kiosks are duff.
The city didn't pay for the sidewalks south of 85th, so bugger paying for some north of it.
LA--walkable? I hardly consider LA drivable.
The city didn't pay for the sidewalks south of 85th, so bugger paying for some north of it.
LA--walkable? I hardly consider LA drivable.
15
In spite of what your headline says, SDOT is implementing the Pedestrian Master Plan. Among other projects, we built nearly 26 blocks of sidewalk and remarked 805 crosswalks based on the plan’s early guidance in 2009.
The department supports the work Feet First is undertaking to enhance walking around Seattle. But the Seattle Municipal Code requires that the city be indemnified against claims made against private installations on public right of way. So instead of being required to have additional cash reserves, a non-profit merely needs to add the city to their insurance policy. Our experience is that a million dollars of insurance is typically what an insurer requires.
While SDOT has been waiting on Feet First to move forward with this request, we look forward to helping them install these kiosks.
The department supports the work Feet First is undertaking to enhance walking around Seattle. But the Seattle Municipal Code requires that the city be indemnified against claims made against private installations on public right of way. So instead of being required to have additional cash reserves, a non-profit merely needs to add the city to their insurance policy. Our experience is that a million dollars of insurance is typically what an insurer requires.
While SDOT has been waiting on Feet First to move forward with this request, we look forward to helping them install these kiosks.
16
@13 I am definitely for sidewalks and public restrooms, but the kiosks might also be nice for all of the cruise ship passengers that come along...
17
What liabilities SDOT are concerned about?
Honestly, it's hard to imagine 5 kiosks having ANY measurable impact on pedestrians or anyone else in the city. What profound revelations could they possibly contain that can't be found on a map or iPhone? Maybe a few tourists will benefit from them?
Seems like a purely symbolic gesture.
Honestly, it's hard to imagine 5 kiosks having ANY measurable impact on pedestrians or anyone else in the city. What profound revelations could they possibly contain that can't be found on a map or iPhone? Maybe a few tourists will benefit from them?
Seems like a purely symbolic gesture.
18
A lot of things are pretty explicitly SDOT's fault and could be mitigated if they gave a shit about pedestrians. Some neighborhoods/areas will never be pedestrian friendly (South Lake Union comes to mind), but many of the biggest fuck yous SDOT sends to pedestrians are clearly about making traffic flow as if city streets were freeways.
Many of the walkable bits are separated not just by distance but by impassable pedestrian barriers marked by "do not cross this side" signs.
the pedestrian light comes on every THREE TURNS of the traffic rotation
A lot of things are pretty explicitly SDOT's fault and could be mitigated if they gave a shit about pedestrians. Some neighborhoods/areas will never be pedestrian friendly (South Lake Union comes to mind), but many of the biggest fuck yous SDOT sends to pedestrians are clearly about making traffic flow as if city streets were freeways.
19
Making Seattle the most walkable city is a good goal. I mean, we all have goals, right? But some goals are just a form of lying to yourself. This is one of those.
20
The idea of these community-developed, community-vetted, and community supported with thousands of citizen hours of walking, inspecting, reviewing, developing themes and writing items with "all the charm and function of a mall 'you are here' directory is to give people a clue.
One thing the kiosks do is they give you a map which includes where all the 30-minute or sooner buses go and where all the public restrooms are and the scale and topography you can see and experience as you look around from that kiosk over the landscape.
West Seattle has some of the city's most impressive landscapes and views - these kiosks bring back the pre-Denny-Party history and describe the evolution and importance for different people of some of the places cited or featured. In between the kiosks are on-street signs which, like the trail markers in the parks, tell you that you are, indeed, heading in a direction of some place or point or intersection.
It's called wayfinding and in a rich, diverse and complicated, and, yes, even physically challenging environment such as Seattle, these kiosks, on-street stanchions and neighborhood-on-feet maps provide valuable and - actually - never-before-available, PEDESTRIAN oriented information.
This system is exactly what a place like Seattle needs to be pedestrian-friendly. And, the issue is that this is a city-sanctioned use of city right-of-way led and directed by citizens of the city who are using their own skills, time and talent and city money (grant) to produce city street infrastructure.
These are not Feet First kiosks - these are Seattle kiosks. In that light they should be treated exactly as the city treats its own street signs and other elements of the urban fabric. In fact, SDOT actually owns and is supposed to install and maintain for a one-time fee of about $100 these on-street stancions.
So, the city is already accepting ownership of one element of this wayfinding project. Why is the other element different. It is not. Feet First and the citizens of West Seattle and all of Northeast Seattle are actually implementing the plans and goals of the City of Seattle's Pedestrian Master Plan and getting a high-rate of impedance back.
This is because certain rules - actually interpretation of rules - have not keep up with the changing pace of citizen and department thinking with respect to pedestrians. The city's implementation of their permit code is lagging the involvement and developments between the citizens and the Department of Transportation. We're on board - that is, us, the citizens of Seattle, the question is are they - the departments of the city of Seattle - on board?
More...
One thing the kiosks do is they give you a map which includes where all the 30-minute or sooner buses go and where all the public restrooms are and the scale and topography you can see and experience as you look around from that kiosk over the landscape.
West Seattle has some of the city's most impressive landscapes and views - these kiosks bring back the pre-Denny-Party history and describe the evolution and importance for different people of some of the places cited or featured. In between the kiosks are on-street signs which, like the trail markers in the parks, tell you that you are, indeed, heading in a direction of some place or point or intersection.
It's called wayfinding and in a rich, diverse and complicated, and, yes, even physically challenging environment such as Seattle, these kiosks, on-street stanchions and neighborhood-on-feet maps provide valuable and - actually - never-before-available, PEDESTRIAN oriented information.
This system is exactly what a place like Seattle needs to be pedestrian-friendly. And, the issue is that this is a city-sanctioned use of city right-of-way led and directed by citizens of the city who are using their own skills, time and talent and city money (grant) to produce city street infrastructure.
These are not Feet First kiosks - these are Seattle kiosks. In that light they should be treated exactly as the city treats its own street signs and other elements of the urban fabric. In fact, SDOT actually owns and is supposed to install and maintain for a one-time fee of about $100 these on-street stancions.
So, the city is already accepting ownership of one element of this wayfinding project. Why is the other element different. It is not. Feet First and the citizens of West Seattle and all of Northeast Seattle are actually implementing the plans and goals of the City of Seattle's Pedestrian Master Plan and getting a high-rate of impedance back.
This is because certain rules - actually interpretation of rules - have not keep up with the changing pace of citizen and department thinking with respect to pedestrians. The city's implementation of their permit code is lagging the involvement and developments between the citizens and the Department of Transportation. We're on board - that is, us, the citizens of Seattle, the question is are they - the departments of the city of Seattle - on board?
21
And as a relatively small non-profit, it's not easy for a group like Feet First to just "add the insurance" as Rick from SDOT implies above. A million bucks of liability? Perhaps. Five million (one million per kiosk for a single project)? Not so much. Isn't this *WHY* the City has liability insurance for itself in the first place? What are we afraid of, that someone will run into a kiosk and hurt themselves?
And as Chas says - these are hardly "private" installations. What Feet First is doing is helping to implement the community-driven, neighborhood-oriented goals of the Pedestrian Master Plan - using city money to do so, one might add - by providing the kind of wayfinding information that many neighborhood residents have said they would like. Again, as Chas says, SDOT owns the stanchions that support the kiosks in the first place!!
And as Chas says - these are hardly "private" installations. What Feet First is doing is helping to implement the community-driven, neighborhood-oriented goals of the Pedestrian Master Plan - using city money to do so, one might add - by providing the kind of wayfinding information that many neighborhood residents have said they would like. Again, as Chas says, SDOT owns the stanchions that support the kiosks in the first place!!
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
SL Letter of the Day: Life Sentence by Dan Savage
-
SL Letter of the Day: Daddy Loves Who? by Dan Savage
-
Required Listening: Howard Stern on Ellen, JC Penney, Bullied Gay Kids, Rosie, Santorum, Bachmann, et al by Dan Savage
-
Crowdsourcing Uncut Police Video from the Dec. 12 Occupy Protest at the Port of Seattle by Eli Sanders
-
State Legislator Testifies That His Opposition to Same-Sex Marriage Came to Him from a Commercial for Jack in the Box by Christopher Frizzelle
-
The AP Is Reporting That Whitney Houston Is Dead by Paul Constant
-
"Let me be the first one to say: My business will refuse to participate in a same-sex marriage ceremony," by Republican Representative Matt Shea of the Spokane Valley by Eli Sanders
-
Slog Bible Study: Deuteronomy 21:10-14 by Goldy
-
The Onion Is on a Roll: "Iran Worried U.S. Might Be Building 8,500th Nuclear Weapon" by Charles Mudede
-
"I don't know if I want to be here [if gay marriage passes]," by Republican State Senator Jay Rodne of North Bend by Eli Sanders
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (21) RSS