How Candidates Stand on Walkability: 2013

 [RK3]This already exists at the Mount Baker stop and there isn’t much space for it at the other stops in Columbia City and Rainier Valley.

 

Sally Bagshaw, Seattle City Councilmember Position 4 (incumbent)

 

1)  Pedestrian and Bicycle Bride Funding at Northgate Transit Station

 

Both the Sound Transit Board and my fellow Councilmembers and I unanimously approved an investment agreement for pedestrian and bicycle access at the Northgate light rail station and surrounding neighborhoods. The City and Sound Transit both have agreed to put in up to $5 million each into this anticipated $20 project to build a pedestrian and bicycle bridge across I-5.  Connecting North Seattle Community College and Northgate Transit Center will be a boon for those attending NSCC as well as for those in the neighborhoods who would like cross I-5 west of the Transit Station without a car.  Monies have also been earmarked to create pedestrian connections between neighborhoods around Northgate to the Northgate Transit Center.  This will vastly improve walking conditions for neighborhoods such as Maple Leaf, and encourage people to walk to the Transit Center.

 

The way this project will be funded is by leveraging resources from multiple sources including the federal government, State of Washington, Sound Transit and the City, must fund this project.   Funding sources would include federal grants, money from a statewide revenue package, revenues from Sound Transit (voter approved local taxes, federal grants, fare box revenues, borrowed funds (bonds), and interest revenues), and should be a line item in the next round of Bridging the Gap funding.    

 

2)   Sound Transit in South Seattle

 

Sound Transit placed the original stations with an eye to balancing route speed of Link Light Rail along this corridor with practical distances for walking.  Our south end neighbors have complained that the distance is too far between stops to be useful for those who live and work in the area, and is especially problematic for the elderly and for people who find walking difficult.

 

The problem is exacerbated because Metro Transit has reduced bus service in the area and eliminated certain routes that were less productive but nonetheless important to people wanting to get to the human services providers along the corridor.

 

It is unlikely that Sound Transit will add more stops in the immediate future, and until Metro Transit gets a local option from the State of Washington, bus service will not be restored to levels preferred by the Rainier Valley residents.

 

In the short term, routes between our light rail station and the bus transfer stops must be clearly marked, properly lighted, and designed with CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design) principles.  Perhaps circulators could be considered along the route to key human service providers if jointly funded by local businesses, non-profits, and Metro.  Working with businesses along the way, pedestrian amenities such as lighting, benches or other seating could improve the corridor.

 

Longer term, discussions between neighbors, Sound Transit, Metro, local businesses and the City must continue so that proper construction and infill occurs. 

3)   Integrating transportation concerns

 

This is an area of particular interest to me.  I have worked closely with the Mayor’s Office to improve transportation connections between neighborhoods through an interdepartmental team including Parks Department, Seattle Public Utilities, and our Office of Sustainability and Environment among others.  I have championed and promoted Neighborhood Greenways with these departments, and progress is being made to improve pedestrian connections across the city.  See my articles on Neighborhood Greenways and the inter-departmental teams at multiple postings:  http://bagshaw.seattle.gov/category/neighborhood-greenways-2/

 

4)   Safe Routes to School

 

I fully support the Safe Routes to Schools program and have worked with Cascade Bicycle Club, our Seattle Neighborhood Greenways program, and with the Seattle Public Schools to encourage the legislature to adequately fund and enhance this program.  It is an program that deserves to be expanded, both in the amount of funding received and the number of schools served.

 

A report from the Washington State Department of Transportation recently found that there were zero reported collisions at Safe Routes to School locations.  In support of this program,  I worked hard the past legislative session to pass the 20 m.p.h. speed limit bill which will allow the city to reduce speeds on streets, and making safe connections to places people want to go, including schools.   We were successful.

 

The rate at which our state allocates resources for the program remains dismal. The Washington State Senate adjourned the 2013 session without passing the transportation bill that would have funded the Safe Routes to Schools program, along with many other pedestrian and transit-friendly projects.   The short-sightedness of this approach frankly made me angry.  I agree with the Republicans that we need to have an efficiently-run government, but taking a no new revenue stand is ridiculous as the numbers of people in our state continue to grow, our economy expands,  and our infrastructure continues to deteriorate.

 

 I have had many meetings this summer with key legislators, King County leadership, and Metro transit directors.  I am working with my colleagues, our Office of Intergovernmental Relations, legislators both Democrats and Republicans — to pass a statewide transportation package.  I will promote a special session this fall, but if that fails, I will urge our legislators to pass a bill early in the next session so Safe Routes to School AND Metro Transit is properly funded.

 

5) The Waterfront and Universal Design

 

I have proudly worked to create, promote, fund, and design Seattle’s Waterfront for All for the past 10 years.  I co-authored a document called Waterfront for All that has become one of the cornerstones of our new Waterfront designed by James Corner Field Operations.

 

I have met with the Lighthouse for the Blind, organizations that promote positive environments for people who are deaf, and am very mindful that as we create amenities for our Waterfront, Downtown and other neighborhoods, that we must build spaces that are inherently accessible to older people, people without disabilities and people with disabilities.

 

I am committed to assuring that our Waterfront is accessible to all.

 

In my role as co-chair of the Council’s Waterfront Committee, I have overseen the work done by the Design Team to assure safe and beautiful spaces for people of all ages and abilities, whether they are pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and motorists.

 

The challenge along our Waterfront is that thousands of people will be using a geographically constricted space and there are many wants.  Dedicated walkways with parkways, lighting, benches will be provided for pedestrians from the stadium district to the Sculpture Park, and the team is balancing wants v. needs.

 

Separated cycletracks for bicyclists are necessary for safety, and the challenge is to separate pedestrians, slow moving bicyclists from the speedier bicycle commuters and cars and trucks. Dedicated or managed lanes solely for buses will be needed to make sure scheduled buses run on time, and space must be reserved for  school buses bringing children to the Aquarium, large buses bringing passengers to the ships as well as tourists to the businesses along the Waterfront and Pike Place Market.  The debate is raging between Pioneer Square businesses and residents and those who live along Columbia Street about more buses being directed onto specific city streets from Alaskan Way.  These questions are being sequentially resolved so that people of all ages and abilities can get to the Waterfront on the appropriate mode.

 

The historical and popular George Benson Streetcars are also being debated as a means for pedestrians to get to and along the Waterfront, but the addition of rails paralleling the Waterfront reduces the amount of space for other modes.  Conversations continue about whether to retrofit these George Benson Streetcars making them accessible for those with disabilities (which must be done under ADA rules if the street cars are to be put back into general use), and also possibly moving the streetcar connector to 1^st Avenue rather than Alaskan Way.  All of these options are currently on the table.  I will advocate for the principles of universal design to be incorporated so that our public waterfront is truly one for everyone.

 

6)  Funding for Pedestrian Improvements

I DO support funding level increases for the Pedestrian Master Plan. Leveraging investments from other City departments has already reaped good results (consider the Bell Street Park that has been funded by our Parks Department as an example; also see my discussion about Neighborhood Greenways above).  I believe a significant portion of an upcoming Bridging the Gap levy should be dedicated to pedestrian improvements.  Also, requiring private development improvements to fund pedestrian infrastructure is a means that all cities use, and is occurring in many of our developing neighborhoods.  The work that both the University of Washington and Amazon have planned in South Lake Union are excellent examples.

 

I will continue to work within the Council to provide the Pedestrian Master Plan with one or more dedicated funding sources.   We must leverage every resource we have:  Bridging the Gap, a local Transportation Investment District, Sound Transit funds, SDOT general funds, Parks Levy you name it.   Funding safe and well-maintained streets and sidewalks continues to be a top priority for me.

 

7)   Safe Streets, Reducing Lanes

I support converting some of our four-lane streets in Seattle to three lanes.  Studies have shown that where this has been done (Nickerson, Dexter, Stone Way for example), pedestrian safety has greatly increased without adversely impact the flow of cars and freight. 

 

I want people in every neighborhood to be safe and to feel safe.  Good connections within and between neighborhoods will enhance the walkability and livability of our neighborhoods.   I promote the concept of a transportation network where pedestrians, cars, trucks, and bicycles all have their separated spaces and priority lanes as appropriate.

 

One Final Note to Feet First leadership and members:  I am a member of Feet First myself and fully support the work you do.  You can count on me to continue to advocate for safe and delightful pedestrian environments in our Downtown and other neighborhoods.

 

Nick Licata, Seattle City Councilmember Position 6 (incumbent)

 

1) Sound Transit has agreed to help fund a pedestrian and bicycle bridge across I-5 to connect North Seattle Community College to the Northgate light rail station.  The City of Seattle needs to come up with the rest of the money for the bridge to be built.  How would you do that?

 

The Real Estate Excise Tax is a good possible funding source. Commercial Parking Tax revenues are another potential funding source. Large amounts of the commercial parking tax revenues have been and will be dedicated to the Mercer project through 2015, but will be available for other projects after that. This could also be considered for the renewal of the Bridging the Gap levy. And  efforts are being made to work with PSRC to identify grants that could also apply to this project.

 

2) A frequent criticism of Sound Transit’s light rail stops in Rainier Valley, particularly Mount Baker, is the difficulty in walking between the station and other destinations, including bus transfer stops.  There are many gaps in the sidewalk network once you get beyond 1/4 mile of the stations.  How would you work to fix this to make the regional light rail network more useful to South Seattle residents, workers, and visitors?

 

I worked with the community to try to maintain Bus 42, which was useful especially to elderly and disable residents, but the route has been cut. Having better sidewalks is one important change”I think funding for linking the main business district on Rainier Avenue to the ST station needs to be prioritized.

 

3) How can transportation concerns be better integrated into departments other than SDOT within the City of Seattle?

Better coordination; there has been some improvement in DPD not blocking off as many sidewalks during construction.  The Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Boards should have more access to all departments’ plans that impact pedestrian and bicycle users. I proposed creation of the Disabilities Commission because of a transportation-related issue at the Seattle Center, where the needs of disabled people for pedestrian access was not accounted for in a planning process.

 

4) What can the city do on a policy level to support the growing Safe Routes to School movement and the many communities that are working to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school?  How can the City best cooperate with Seattle Public Schools?

 

I have advocated for dedicating funding from speed cameras to safety for several years. I am glad the Mayor has followed through on this suggestion by creating a fund to use those revenues for safety. This is a good funding source for these projects.

 

5) Seattle’s downtown waterfront is already undergoing changes as part of the seawall replacement and deep bore tunnel construction.  Much more is to come.  How can we make a busy, working waterfront safe and attractive for pedestrians of all ages, and how can we incorporate the principles of universal design to guide these efforts?

 

It has long been a priority of mine to ensure that despite the changes due to the deep bore tunnel and other major projects that Seattle maintain its attractive, usable, pedestrian-friendly open space. The way to ensure this happens is to manage the budget of these large projects efficiently. The city should recognize that the goals of our large transportation improvement projects must include maintaining the waterfront and pedestrian space we already have at the least. This is not an either/or situation.

 

6) The 2011 SDOT budget included $15.4 million toward implementing the Pedestrian Master Plan (which contains a total of $840 million in Tier 1 needs alone).  The current funding stream will take decades to complete just the Tier 1 projects.  Would you support increasing that level of funding? If so, how?

 

The completion of the Mercer Project will free significant annual revenues that should be dedicated to pedestrian master plan funding throughout Seattle. It’s time to focus  on implementing this plan, and step away from large road projects.

 

7)  In recent years a number of four-lane Seattle streets have been converted to three lanes (one lane in each direction plus a two-way left turn lane).  These reconfigurations greatly improve pedestrian safety for people trying to cross the street.  Under what circumstances do you support converting arterials from four lanes to three in this manner?  Are there any places where these lane changes have occurred where the road should be changed back to four lanes?

 

I believe looking at the data is important in analyzing these conversions. Nickerson Street is a good example”the data showed it improved safety without significant adverse effects on travel times. I haven’t seen any data that would support converting roads back to four lanes. 

 

Mike O’Brien, Seattle City Councilmember Position 8 (incumbent)

 

1) Sound Transit has agreed to help fund a pedestrian and bicycle bridge across I-5 to connect North Seattle Community College to the Northgate light rail station.  The City of Seattle needs to come up with the rest of the money for the bridge to be built.  How would you do that?

 

A pedestrian and bicycle bridge across I-5 presents the opportunity to connect an important educational institution and a many residential units with transit and is the kind of project we should be investing in. I would prioritize this project in SDOT’s capital improvement program (CIP) and ask SDOT to keep it on the top of our lists as we apply for Federal and other grant funding that could see funds secured earlier.

 

2) A frequent criticism of Sound Transit’s light rail stops in Rainier Valley, particularly Mount Baker, is the difficulty in walking between the station and other destinations, including bus transfer stops.  There are many gaps in the sidewalk network once you get beyond 1/4 mile of the stations.  How would you work to fix this to make the regional light rail network more useful to South Seattle residents, workers, and visitors?

 

Walkability to, from and around light rail stations is an important area, particularly somewhere like Mt. Baker where there are many seniors and people with disabilities.   We need to continue expediting investment in the transit master plan and pedestrian master plan and consider prioritizing areas near transit as part of the city’s broader TOD strategies.  The upcoming renewal of the Bridging the Gap Levy is an opportunity to prioritize investments in Transit Communities that improve connections to transit.

 

3) How can transportation concerns be better integrated into departments other than SDOT within the City of Seattle?

A focus on transit-oriented-development is a good way to ensure that transportation and transit is connected with the other work the city is doing.  When we focus on building walkable neighborhoods with community amenities near transit, it requires staff in parks, housing, human services and transportation to all work together.  By focusing on place-based strategies such as this, I think we have an opportunity to foster collaboration across departments.

 

4) What can the city do on a policy level to support the growing Safe Routes to School movement and the many communities that are working to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school?  How can the City best cooperate with Seattle Public Schools?

Policies that prioritize infrastructure investments near schools are key to having more safe routes built, sooner.   The city can consider policies such as speed limits and enforcement patrols or school speed zone cameras to reduce the speed of cars in safe routes areas.  In addition, the city can support the grassroots efforts of neighborhood organizations that are creating changes at their particular school with programs like the Neighborhood Matching Fund and Neighborhood Street Fund.

 

The City can best cooperate with Seattle Public Schools by building strong relationships with open communication with the District.  When we can see shared goals and the value of partnership, I think the City and District can have successful collaboration, as we have seen with the Families and Education Levy.

 

The commitment by the mayor and city council to dedicate all revenues from school zone cameras to improvements in those school zones will allow us to accelerate investments that will make it safer for kids to get to and from school.

 

5) Seattle’s downtown waterfront is already undergoing changes as part of the seawall replacement and deep bore tunnel construction.  Much more is to come.  How can we make a busy, working waterfront safe and attractive for pedestrians of all ages, and how can we incorporate the principles of universal design to guide these efforts?

 

There are many competing priorities for the use of our waterfront, but we must continue to place people first in all of our planning and design.  Ensuring that design of roads, sidewalks and key infrastructure place people first is vital to getting it right.  One area of particular concern that I will continue to monitor are the crossing distances of the rebuilt Alaskan Way.  It is critical that we make getting to and from the water as safe and enticing to people as possible.

Feet First has been an important voice during the waterfront planning process and I would be happy to hear how I can better support your efforts to make the water front safe and attractive to pedestrians of all ages.

 

6) The 2011 SDOT budget included $15.4 million toward implementing the Pedestrian Master Plan (which contains a total of $840 million in Tier 1 needs alone).  The current funding stream will take decades to complete just the Tier 1 projects.  Would you support increasing that level of funding? If so, how?

 

I support an aggressive implementation of the pedestrian master plan.  This should be incorporated into the Bridging the Gap Renewal coming in 2015 and all other new transportation funding sources.  We must also take a close look at existing revenue sources and ensure that all of our dollars are being used and leverage to create safer streets.  This includes considering pedestrian master plan investments when we are working in other areas of the street including building new transit stops, neighborhood greenways and other right of way improvements.

 

7)  In recent years a number of four-lane Seattle streets have been converted to three lanes (one lane in each direction plus a two-way left turn lane).  These reconfigurations greatly improve pedestrian safety for people trying to cross the street.  Under what circumstances do you support converting arterials from four lanes to three in this manner?  Are there any places where these lane changes have occurred where the road should be changed back to four lanes?

 

SDOT has done a good job of identifying roads that are good candidates for this transformation.  I remember when Stone Way was being re-channeled to include bike lanes and can hardly imagine walking, biking or even driving without these improvements.  

SDOT has done a thorough job in studying the impacts of these road diets to ensure that we make the roads safer for both pedestrians and bikes but also maintain mobility for other modes.  We need to continue to look for opportunities to make these smart investments.  I am not aware of an arterial that should be changed back. 

 

Albert Shen, Candidate for Seattle City Council Position 8

 

1) Sound Transit has agreed to help fund a pedestrian and bicycle bridge across I-5 to connect North Seattle Community College to the Northgate light rail station.  The City of Seattle needs to come up with the rest of the money for the bridge to be built.  How would you do that?

 

I am well aware of this project as I serve on the Board of Trustees for the Seattle Community Colleges. I think this will be a great asset for our N Seattle Community College and in the long term will be able to connect students/faculty/administrators  to get from our Seattle Central Campus to our North Campus.  The city needs to look at alternative funding mechanisms and for this type of project I believe a public/private partnership will be ideal.  I will look for private funding dollars to supplement funding from Sound Transit, City of Seattle and funding possibilities in the capital budget from the State Board of Community Colleges.

 

2) A frequent criticism of Sound Transit’s light rail stops in Rainier Valley, particularly Mount Baker, is the difficulty in walking between the station and other destinations, including bus transfer stops.  There are many gaps in the sidewalk network once you get beyond 1/4 mile of the stations.  How would you work to fix this to make the regional light rail network more useful to South Seattle residents, workers, and visitors?

 

This is a perfect example of disparity in our transportation plan with low-income communities of color.  The idea of public transportation is to serve people who need public transportation and this was a total miss by Sound Transit and the City of Seattle to serve diverse underserved communities. The Filipino Community Center sits in between the Columbia City Station and the Othello Station each approx. ½ mile to both sides.  At one point there was supposed to be a station at the Graham Street but that was taken out and thus left a huge gap for a community that really needs access to reliable and frequent public transportation.  I will advocate for another station to be put where it can serve these communities and in moving forward will advocate for more access to light rail in South Seattle so residents, workers and visitors can have equal access to public transportation. 

 

3) How can transportation concerns be better integrated into departments other than SDOT within the City of Seattle?

 

This will involve an overall 21^st Century Strategic master transportation plan that encompasses all our various modes of transportation (freight/car/rail/bike/pedestrian) with all departments.  Everyone has a vested interested in a transportation systems that ensures our freight mobility is not hindered yet is implemented with lowering our carbon footprint.  The Offices of Economic Development, SCL, SPU, Housing, Education, and all other city departments should provide guidance/feedback/policy recommendations toward an overall transportation master plan that SDOT shall develop and govern through the Mayor’s office.  Once an overall plan is in place, then interdepartmental policies can be implemented thru working with the Mayor’s office and City Council. 

 

4) What can the city do on a policy level to support the growing Safe Routes to School movement and the many communities that are working to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school?  How can the City best cooperate with Seattle Public Schools?

 
The city needs to get a spine when it comes to developing policies on education in Seattle.  I am tired of hearing from our local elected officials that we cannot do anything about the Seattle Public Schools.  There is currently no direct City Council committee that addresses education. I want an education committee on the City Council and I want that committee to be a platform for having discussions and develop policies that will support and enhance the City’s role in educational policy.  With an Education committee we can integrate into the discussion transportation for kids getting to school via walking, pedestrian safety and other modes.  Without a formal platform to have policy discussions then we cannot move forward in our educational policy goals.

 

5) Seattle’s downtown waterfront is already undergoing changes as part of the seawall replacement and deep bore tunnel construction.  Much more is to come.  How can we make a busy, working waterfront safe and attractive for pedestrians of all ages, and how can we incorporate the principles of universal design to guide these efforts?

 

Fifty years ago the Seattle Center and the World’s Fair put Seattle on the international stage by showcasing human innovation and vision of a 21^st century economy.  Now 50 years later, Seattle has a unique opportunity to make a new waterfront that will define Seattle for another half century.  My business is on the Seattle Waterfront Redevelopment engineering team and I am proud to be able to be part of a program such as this.  As the design process moves forward, we need to ensure that the waterfront will serve:  our tourism industries that depend on the vast amount of tourists that come to our waterfront; our freight mobility access is not impeded and our ferry system can move people, goods/services freely. Pedestrian access from Pike Place, Seattle Center, Pioneer Square and Stadium districts will be critical to a walk-able waterfront and I would like to see more pedestrian overpasses that can access the waterfront from various parts of the downtown corridor.  However we must also ensure that our senior citizens can have access to a new waterfront by roadways that support buses, shuttles and cars so they can enjoy the benefits of a new waterfront.

 

6) The 2011 SDOT budget included $15.4 million toward implementing the Pedestrian Master Plan (which contains a total of $840 million in Tier 1 needs alone).  The current funding stream will take decades to complete just the Tier 1 projects.  Would you support increasing that level of funding? If so, how?

 

YES.  Our property levy system is supposed to be used to fund long term infrastructure programs; education institutions and basic services (public safety) and other basic needs for the city.  It is not supposed to be used to fund non-metric social justice needs such as public campaign finance reform.   I will advocate for a greater integrated transportation plan that encompasses all our major transportation mobility needs: roadways/freight, transit, walkways/sidewalks and bike lanes concurrently.  Thru this plan I will evaluate a levy funding model that will ensure the ability to complete our pedestrian walkway needs.

 

7)  In recent years a number of four-lane Seattle streets have been converted to three lanes (one lane in each direction plus a two-way left turn lane).  These reconfigurations greatly improve pedestrian safety for people trying to cross the street.  Under what circumstances do you support converting arterials from four lanes to three in this manner?  Are there any places where these lane changes have occurred where the road should be changed back to four lanes?

 

The overall fundamental transportation issue we have in Seattle is that we have no mass transit system that moves large amounts of people quickly. On average; the Shanghai Metro moves 2,230 Million Annual Passengers (MAP); Washington DC Metro Rail moves over 200 MAP; the Atlanta Martha moves 70 MAP and our Sound Transit Central Light Rail moves approx. 10 MAP.  Because we have do not have a mass transit system that can move more we are faced with putting extra pressure on our roadway network with other forms of transportation such as street cars, bike lanes, light rail and the current city policy is to reduce our roadway capacity in favor of bike lanes.

 

Our maritime and manufacturing industry accounts for 17% of the local family wage jobs and over 34% of our local B&O tax revenue.  We must protect our major transportation corridors in order for these important economic engine industries to continue to support our economy.  I do not support the reduction of our roadway system in order to just make it safer for one specific demographic.  Our roadway system is used by a very diverse range of uses and I rather move our pedestrian walkways and bike lanes to grade separated modes.  For areas of high concern for pedestrian safety, there are a multitude of technology-based applications that can be deployed for pedestrian safety. More importantly I will advocate for pedestrian overhead walkways at major intersections in order to maximize safety as this is the only way to preserve a free flowing freight corridor and provide a safe walking environment. 

 

Steve Kasner, Candidate Bellevue City Council Position 4

 

1) What can Bellevue do on a policy level to support the growing Safe Routes to School movement and the many communities that are working to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school? How can the city best cooperate with the public school system?

 

In the 60’s, when I went to school, many students walked or biked to school. That trend has changed over time on a national and local level, with more children being transported by car. With increased traffic around schools, more parents feel that it is not safe for their kids to travel by bike or foot, and start driving their kids as well. This has led to significant traffic congestion around schools and either perceived or actual safety concerns for pedestrians and walkers. The City needs to acknowledge the need advocate for reduced traffic congestion around schools and provide safe routes for walking and biking for children and families particularly those routes that connect neighborhoods to schools, parks and shopping areas. The City must support schools efforts to implement safe route to school programs by proving an adequate source of funding to address deficiencies in the pedestrian and biking system, and help encourage not only commuter carpooling to reduce congestion around schools but also multi-family carpools. By improving infrastructure and reducing congestion around the schools, they will not only be safer environments, but also healthier environments due to reduced CO2 emissions. For the past few years, the City has focused on light rail and large capacity projects to the exclusion of neighborhood transportation needs. I would make sure that the capital budget addresses transportation needs at the neighborhood level throughout Bellevue, including improvements around schools so students can travel safely to and from school.

 

2) Suburban cities throughout the Puget Sound region have tremendous pedestrian infrastructure needs such as sidewalks, pathways, and enhanced pedestrian street crossings. Are you satisfied with Bellevue’s current level of funding for pedestrian improvements, or would you raise or lower it? If you would like to spend more money on pedestrian infrastructure, how would you accomplish this?

 

Once again, I believe that the City of Bellevue has with very few exceptions allowed neighborhood connectivity needs to go unheeded and unfunded for the past four years. The City has a Pedestrian/Bicycle Plan that identifies needs, but available funds have been directed to large, street capacity-building projects. The level of funding for pedestrian projects is totally inadequate. I will seek re-ordering of priorities, beginning with more public input.

 

3) Sound Transit has limited funds available to promote rider access to the Link Light Rail system. Current plans call for spending much of this money on building structured park & ride lots at future station locations, although they also spend some money on new sidewalks and other pedestrian facilities near stations. Given this tradeoff between Sound Transit spending on parking facilities and pedestrian infrastructure, which is your preferred priority for Bellevue?

 

We can have both. Bellevue has many communications tools that can be employed to advise people of opportunities to utilize mass transit. In addition to newsletters, web site, and e-mail advisories, the City has an outreach network that reaches into the neighborhoods to provide information and involvement opportunities to all people, including those with language and cultural barriers. I would make sure that these tools are used to promote the availability and necessity of transit. Additionally, existing and future park and ride investments can be better utilized by encouraging higher occupancy rates per stall which would help limit the capital outlay and expansion of additional park and ride stalls, as well as education and encouragement efforts to bike and/or walk to these facilities when practical.

 

4) What specific actions would you support to improve pedestrian access to future Sound Transit Link Light Rail stations in the city of Bellevue?

 

It’s a matter of priorities. Again, the City needs to focus on connectivity that meets the needs of Bellevue residents and workers. Instead of building legacy projects that don’t serve immediate needs, the Council needs to: 1) meet with residents and commuters to identify needs and gaps; and 2) prioritize spending to provide for essential pedestrian connections, including connections to light rail stations.

 

5) The two future Link Light Rail stations at 120th Avenue NE and 130th Avenue NE have tremendous potential to encourage the establishment of walkable transit oriented development around the stations. What specific actions would you support to foster this development?

 

I would support:
¢ An ongoing marketing campaign to establish public awareness.
¢ Appropriate funding of pedestrian connections to stations from nearby businesses, institutions and neighborhoods.
¢ Development of safety features and amenities (such as benches for resting, wayfinding, etc.) that appeal to transit users and other pedestrians.
¢ Encourage businesses to incentivize transit use for their employees by providing or subsidizing transit fares.

 

6) There has been much discussion about developing a regional trail along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail corridor. Do you support development of a regional trail along this corridor, and what actions would you support to fund it?

 

I support the regional trail, and would seek ways for the City to participate in trail improvements along with strong regional and public/private partnerships.

 

Lynne Robinson, Bellevue City Councilmember, Position 6 (incumbent)

 

1) What can Bellevue do on a policy level to support the growing Safe Routes to School movement and the many communities that are working to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school?  How can the city best cooperate with the public school system?

 

Bellevue can reinstate the neighborhood match funds for projects like sidewalks along the walkways to bus stops and schools.  Public education on how communities can encourage walking, ie: walk pools with adult supervision would be helpful as well.  Installing and maintaining traffic signs and crosswalks are integral to Safe Routes to School.  This is something that the Transportation Commission should be involved with.

 

2) Suburban cities throughout the Puget Sound region have tremendous pedestrian infrastructure needs such as sidewalks, pathways, and enhanced pedestrian street crossings.  Are you satisfied with Bellevue’s current level of funding for pedestrian improvements, or would you raise or lower it?  If you would like to spend more money on pedestrian infrastructure, how would you accomplish this?

 

From my contacts with neighborhoods in Bellevue, there are areas woefully served by crosswalks, sidewalks and traffic signs.  Enatai is a good example of a neighborhood that has tried unsuccessfully to have a crosswalk in a school zone and fears for the safety of their young neighbors.  The city needs to respond to the valid requests for improved public safety, particularly around schools.  There are resources for these funds, but the city needs to prioritize their allocation to these types of projects.

 

3) Sound Transit has limited funds available to promote rider access to the Link Light Rail system.  Current plans call for spending much of this money on building structured park & ride lots at future station locations, although they also spend some money on new sidewalks and other pedestrian facilities near stations.  Given this tradeoff between Sound Transit spending on parking facilities and pedestrian infrastructure, which is your preferred priority for Bellevue?

 

Improved walkability, bikeability and parking go hand in hand with the success of Light Rail.  The city and ST need to partner to ensure that all these needs are met. 

 

4) What specific actions would you support to improve pedestrian access to future Sound Transit Link Light Rail stations in the city of Bellevue?

 

There are many options being discussed.  I prefer covered walkways, and short tunnels under intersections to access light rail stations. 

 

5) The two future Link Light Rail stations at 120th Avenue NE and 130th Avenue NE have tremendous potential to encourage the establishment of walkable transit oriented development around the stations.  What specific actions would you support to foster this development? 

 

These two stations are at the heart of the TOD planned in the BelRed Corridor.  The city needs to create dedicated infrastructure funding for these projects in order to provide the walkability/bikeability and livability that make TOD successful.  This includes funding for the daylighting of the many streams in this area and the planned creation of a chain of creek parks that people can navigate while walking between these stations.

 

6) There has been much discussion about developing a regional trail along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail corridor.  Do you support development of a regional trail along this corridor, and what actions would you support to fund it?

 

When the industrial use of the rail corridor has been exhausted, I support converting the BNSF tracks into a trail system that will still have the potential for North/South commuter rail in the future.  Our city will need to partner with the county and the surrounding region to create funding for this project in cooperation with the other cities that the rail cuts through.  

 

Dave Kaplan, Des Moines City Councilmember (incumbent, unopposed)

 

Question 1 (regarding safe routes to schools):

 

The City of Des Moines has pursued safe routes to schools for a number of years.  We have applied for and received numerous grants over the past decade to secure the funding needed to make this infrastructure a reality.  With those funds, we have added sidewalks and implemented school zone photo speed enforcement on the arterial roads fronting Woodmont Elementary and Midway Elementary.  We are also adding a flashing light warning system up at North Hill Elementary this month.  Additionally, the City has adopted a Safe Streets ordinance, with a goal of putting in the sidewalks (as funding is available) for those safe routes to school.  Lastly, we have partnered with surrounding jurisdictions on a HEAL grant for healthy living, including healthy eating and exercise.  We continue our efforts in that regard with the I-CANN program.

 

Question 2 (regarding funding for infrastructure):

 

The City of Des Moines has been successful at securing grants periodically to support installation of pedestrian ways.  We are currently working with the WA State Dept. of Transportation to provide an extension of the Barnes Creek Trail, so that it can connect with the Des Moines Creek Trail.  This will provide an important, non-motorized connection for bicycles and pedestrians from Kent-Des Moines Road up thru the center of town, and onto the trail that leads up to the City of Seatac.  That trail is part of the Lake to Sound Trail proposed and pursued by King County Councilwoman Julia Patterson.   Local funding is nearly impossible, with voters having now twice rejected local utility tax increases to fund transportation projects.

 

Question 3 (Sound Transit infrastructure investments):

 

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that Sound Transit will be providing a stop in Des Moines, though there will be two stops (near Highline Community College and at S. 272nd Street) that will serve Des Moines residents.  With east-west Sound Transit dubious at best, and King County Metro’s current service level already tenuous, there is no clear alternative to park & ride lots for the foreseeable future.  That does not mean that ALL of the investment needs to be made solely for motorized transportation, and any investment that could add bike & ride storage facilities for bicycle riders should be given serious consideration.

 

Mark Koppang, Candidate for Federal Way City Council Position 2

 

1) What can Federal Way do on a policy level to support the growing Safe Routes to School movement and the many communities that are working to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school?  How can the city best cooperate with the public school system?

 

With the completion of the Mark Twain Elementary school zone improvements, the pending completion of the Lakota school zone improvements, and the scheduled school zone improvements to both Sacajawea and Federal Way High School, Federal Way has made significant steps to implement the Safe Routes to School program. However, with 37 schools in our district, we have only begun the process.

 

Understanding that both the funds and windows of opportunity to complete these projects during the year are limited, coordination of effort is essential. By working directly with the school district, the city can effectively direct its efforts to best match the needs of the student population of the district.  The first step would be to have joint meetings between members of the School Board and City Council to establish direction and priorities for the completion of the project district wide. Once directives have been set, it would then be delegated to the respective staffs for implementation with periodic oversight reviews by both the School Board and City Council to insure implementation is on track.

 

By working together to set the agenda and putting in place shared responsibilities for implementation, the School Board and City Council would be able to insure our children throughout the district have a safe route to and from their school.

 

2) Suburban cities throughout the Puget Sound region have tremendous pedestrian infrastructure needs such as sidewalks, pathways, and enhanced pedestrian street crossings.  Are you satisfied with the current level of funding for pedestrian improvements in Federal Way, or would you raise or lower it?  If you would like to spend more money on pedestrian infrastructure, how would you accomplish this?

 

Due to the high cost of implementation of a comprehensive pedestrian solution the city has taken an incremental approach. While this approach may appear frustratingly slow, it has allowed us to put in place pedestrian improvements in many of the high pedestrian traffic areas throughout the city. As new developments are built, a key component of their final design includes pedestrian access. This is something I support.

 

The areas that remain underserved for pedestrians are the more rural neighborhoods of our city. While pedestrian traffic isn’t as high in these areas, these roads can be a safety challenge, especially those without a shoulder. I would like to see a portion of our road funds set aside to address this vital safety issue and insure pedestrians can eventually walk safely anywhere in the city. Besides sidewalks, installing curbs, or event painting a double-wide fog line can serve to effectively delineate the pedestrian portion of the roadway.

 

3) Sound Transit has limited funds available to promote rider access to the Link Light Rail system.  Current plans call for spending much of this money on building structured park & ride lots at future station locations, although they also spend some money on new sidewalks and other pedestrian facilities near stations.  Given this tradeoff between Sound Transit spending on parking facilities and pedestrian infrastructure, which is your preferred priority for Federal Way?

 

Based on my observation, our parking facilities are still not fully utilized. Because of this I would not be a proponent of building more parking facilities until I am confident we have addressed this issue. Two components that are essential in my mind to promote rider access are improved pedestrian access and implementation of a shuttle to service the under-utilized outlying parking facilities.

 

While a shuttle would be a key part of the solution, by concentrating on improving pedestrian access there would be an opportunity to improve the esthetics of these pedestrian corridors. This would provide a solution not just for transit commuters but for recreational use as well, which is important, as I believe it is essential to tailor our solutions to have the maximum benefit for every citizen.

 

Jeanne Burbidge, Federal Way City Councilmember Position 4 (incumbent)

 

1) What can Federal Way do on a policy level to support the growing Safe Routes to School movement and the many communities that are working to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school?  How can the city best cooperate with the public school system?

 

The City of Federal Way has applied for funding and received grants, also using City revenue to design and install features improving the safety of school routes.  We are among the lowest of cities in King County in terms of revenue per capita, so outside funding is especially necessary to accomplish what needs to be done.  We do work closely with the Federal Way School District on these projects, but I am certainly aware of the need to increase conversations and efforts.

 

2) Suburban cities throughout the Puget Sound region have tremendous pedestrian infrastructure needs such as sidewalks, pathways, and enhanced pedestrian street crossings.  Are you satisfied with the current level of funding for pedestrian improvements in Federal Way, or would you raise or lower it?  If you would like to spend more money on pedestrian infrastructure, how would you accomplish this?

 

I am not satisfied with the current level of funding for pedestrian infrastructure, but also am aware of the competitive process which occurs, as I serve on the Transportation Policy Board for Puget Sound Regional Council, South County Area Transportation Board, King County Regional Transit Committee, and Transportation Improvement Board for Washington State.  Raising awareness of the needs, and lobbying for additional resources are certainly warranted.

 

3) Sound Transit has limited funds available to promote rider access to the Link Light Rail system.  Current plans call for spending much of this money on building structured park & ride lots at future station locations, although they also spend some money on new sidewalks and other pedestrian facilities near stations.  Given this tradeoff between Sound Transit spending on parking facilities and pedestrian infrastructure, which is your preferred priority for Federal Way?

 

Structured park and ride facilities are needed when there is not available transit in a community to bring people to the buses which do exist.  This is a definite challenge in Federal Way, as King County Metro Transit has cut back on transit service in the community.  Many residents do not have access to transit without driving to the Transit Center.  Having some additional conversations about the possible additions of more pedestrian  infrastructure could help provide insight into potential opportunities.

 

Martin Moore, Candidate for Federal Way City Council Position 6

 

1) What can Federal Way do on a policy level to support the growing Safe Routes to School movement and the many communities that are working to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school?  How can the city best cooperate with the public school system?

 

The first responsibility of the city in terms of promoting walkability should be to ensure safe paths for pedestrians to walk to school. This includes unobstructed sidewalks, strategically placed speed bumps, curb extensions at cross-walks and other such features which increase pedestrian safety and make drivers more aware of their surroundings.

 

2) Suburban cities throughout the Puget Sound region have tremendous pedestrian infrastructure needs such as sidewalks, pathways, and enhanced pedestrian street crossings.  Are you satisfied with the current level of funding for pedestrian improvements in Federal Way, or would you raise or lower it?  If you would like to spend more money on pedestrian infrastructure, how would you accomplish this?

 

I want Federal Way to be a city in which young people want to stay and raise families of their own. Low walkability deters that binding sense of community which comes from connected neighborhoods. Furthermore, low walkability pushes people into their cars, increasing the likelihood they will take their business to stores outside of Federal Way. In addition to business, many studies have shown that walkability increases property values. Taken together, investments in pedestrian mobility can actually increase the tax base of the city. For these reasons I believe it is actually more fiscally responsible in the long run to invest a higher percentage of the transportation budget into pedestrian improvements.

 

3) Sound Transit has limited funds available to promote rider access to the Link Light Rail system.  Current plans call for spending much of this money on building structured park & ride lots at future station locations, although they also spend some money on new sidewalks and other pedestrian facilities near stations.  Given this tradeoff between Sound Transit spending on parking facilities and pedestrian infrastructure, which is your preferred priority for Federal Way?

 

I am running for city council to move Federal Way forward. This will require long term planning and a reconsideration of what our city will look like in 25 years. While running light rail down I-5 and building parking garages may create the highest initial ridership numbers, it will be a waste of public resources and opportunity in the long run. Instead, if elected I will push for construction of light rail to follow Pac Highway through town and new zoning rules around future stations to encourage the development of high walkability communities. We can build a regionally connected walkable community right here in Federal Way, a community our children will be proud to live in. The Federal Way of tomorrow starts with good planning today, and if it is to remain prosperous, it must include a return to walkable communities.  

 

Martin Morgan, Kirkland City Councilmember Position 1

 

1) To make it easier and safer for kids to walk to school we need to find out what is needed from local schools, PTSAs, and neighborhoods and put in place funding for this. The city should engage individual schools and their surrounding neighbors to incorporate their needs and wants for a safer walking neighborhood. The kids and residents come first!
 
2) Residents should always come first. Safe pedestrian infrastructure should be a priority for any city. Kirkland should be working with all residents and neighborhoods to designate, then build, what is best for their needs. Until pathways are safe and well marked, there should be funding and that should be increased if necessary. Funding can come from many sources or a combination of sources.
 
3) Yes, I absolutely support the Cross Kirkland Corridor and would support it being tied to the regional trail system of the Burlington Northern corridor. Where funding is needed, I would support creative measures to accomplish this great regional opportunity before us.

 

Jay Arnold, Candidate for Kirkland City Council Position 1

 

1) What can Kirkland do on a policy level to support the growing Safe Routes to School movement and the many communities that are working to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school?  How can the city best cooperate with the public school system?

 

Kirkland was the first city in Washington state to adopt a complete streets policy to build sidewalks and bike lanes as part of road construction.  And Kirkland has historically made safe school walk routes a priority in its pedestrian investments by the city. 

More broadly, I think the City can do more in making it safe for walking overall, as 25% of its roadway network has no sidewalks. It’s a topic that I’ve heard about several times while doorbelling.

 

In the next three years, Kirkland will update its comprehensive plan, which includes an update of its transportation master plan.  I support policy changes to:

• Change the focus of our transportation plan and capital priorities to move people, regardless of their mode of travel. 
• Restore neighborhood safety investments, which had been cut during the economic downturn.  
• Establish goals for establishing greenways for bicycle and pedestrian traffic. 

The City can partner with the school system by

• Coordinating the planning, transportation, and design to enhance safety as schools are rebuilt or remodeled and site configurations change
• Upgrading signage for school zone speed limits and crossings
• Working with PTAs on training and partnering on enforcement

 
2) Suburban cities throughout the Puget Sound region have tremendous pedestrian infrastructure needs such as sidewalks, pathways, and enhanced pedestrian street crossings.  Are you satisfied with your city’s current level of funding for pedestrian improvements, or would you raise or lower it?  If you would like to spend more money on pedestrian infrastructure, how would you accomplish this?

 

With the passage of the Streets Levy in 2012, Kirkland provides ongoing, dedicated funding for safe school walk routes and other pedestrian safety measures, approximately $300,000 per year.   Because of the backlog of needs”especially in crossing signals”some of that investment has been front loaded and we are already seeing improvements.  That is a good base to build on.

 

As our economy recovers, I hope to be able restore neighborhood funds that would provide for investments in safety, such as sidewalks, crossings, greenways, and traffic calming.

 
3) There has been much discussion about developing a regional trail along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail corridor.  Do you support development of a regional trail along this corridor, and what actions would you support to fund it?

 

Last year, Kirkland purchased its part of the rail corridor”now dubbed the Cross Kirkland Corridor.  While I support linking to Woodinville, Redmond and Bellevue segments and developing a regional trail, I believe Kirkland would greatly benefit in creating the Cross Kirkland Corridor at a pace independent of regional decision-making.  With the passage of the Parks Levy in 2012, Kirkland has funding to build an interim gravel trail.  I want to pursue developing a paved trail as soon as possible that is more useful for cyclists and pedestrians, even if in segments (for example, South Kirkland Transit Center to the Google campus, or Google campus to Downtown).

Local funding for the Cross Kirkland Corridor could come from a variety of sources, including a public-private partnership, funding received for traffic mitigation, or dedicating additional money from the levy.

 

Longer term, Eastside cities, King County, and others will need to work together on a regional trail system along the BNSF corridor.  We will need to partner with Sound Transit and seek state and potentially federal funding to realize the complete vision of the corridor that accommodates pedestrians, cyclists, and transit.  

 

Penny Sweet, Kirkland City Councilmember Position 2 (incumbent, unopposed)

 

1) What can Kirkland do on a policy level to support the growing Safe Routes to School movement and the many communities that are working to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school?  How can the city best cooperate with the public school system? 

 

We can keep doing what we are doing and maintain our commitment to a plan that completes all of our routes to school.  One of our major priorities is safe school walks and we put extra monies in the budget this year to accomplish more of that.  We also upgraded a number of school cross walks this year.  I believe that we have an extremely cooperative relationship with LWSD and have worked closely with them in the design of new school and maintenance of walkways around existing schools. 

 

2) Suburban cities throughout the Puget Sound region have tremendous pedestrian infrastructure needs such as sidewalks, pathways, and enhanced pedestrian street crossings.  Are you satisfied with your city’s current level of funding for pedestrian improvements, or would you raise or lower it?  If you would like to spend more money on pedestrian infrastructure, how would you accomplish this? 

 

I wouldn’t use the term satisfied but I’m proud of what we have done, what we are doing and what we plan to do. Kirkland is so lucky to have so many sidewalks, pathways and secret cut through trails plus we are so lucky to have the maps of all of them that you helped us with to be able to share them broadly.  We are truly a walking community you can see that in every one of our neighborhoods.  My favorite walk is through my neighborhood and along the lake to Juanita beach then up and around and down the trail that goes along Forbes Creek on the North side, up the hill to Crestwoods park in Norkirk, down the stairs and over the Cross Kirkland Trail and through Cotton Hill Park and up the new stairs (that we just rebuilt), all the way up to 116^th and left all the way down to the Highlands stairs above Forbes Creek down the trail and back to my house.   If our budget situation improves with the slowly improving economy I think we could do a better job on pedestrian infrastructure, particularly in moving forward with the Cross Kirkland Corridor.  I’m also interested in improving the ped/bike access out on 100^th between 132^nd and Simonds Road. 

 

3) There has been much discussion about developing a regional trail along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail corridor.  Do you support development of a regional trail along this corridor, and what actions would you support to fund it?

 

Oops, I think I was already answering that question.  The rail is almost completely out, the grading and ditch work is midway done, the gravel is coming and by June, at the very latest, we will have a full bore pedestrian and mountain bikeable trail covering 5 ½ miles along the heart of Kirkland.  We are working diligently with all of the stakeholders in the rest of the BNSF corridor are aligned with us our vision for the trail, short term, and for the corridor into the future.  We are pursuing every opportunity that we can to obtain grants, to find federal monies (transportation and some bridge dollars)  Yes, I support it. 

 

Amy Walen, Kirkland City Councilmember Position 5 (incumbent, unopposed)

 

1) What can Kirkland do on a policy level to support the growing Safe Routes to School movement and the many communities that are working to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school?  How can the city best cooperate with the public school system?

 

Education and Outreach to our community about the program.  Dedication of our road levy funds we passed the levy based on supporting the program.  We have a school district coordination committee that works with the school district. 

 

2) Suburban cities throughout the Puget Sound region have tremendous pedestrian infrastructure needs such as sidewalks, pathways, and enhanced pedestrian street crossings.  Are you satisfied with your city’s current level of funding for pedestrian improvements, or would you raise or lower it?  If you would like to spend more money on pedestrian infrastructure, how would you accomplish this?

 

We have recently passed a road levy, and much of this is dedicated to complete streets.  We have just applied some of these funds to a series of state of the art ped crossings throughout our city.

 

3) There has been much discussion about developing a regional trail along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail corridor.  Do you support development of a regional trail along this corridor, and what actions would you support to fund it?

 

Yes.  We will have some creative ideas on how to leverage our funding we should be able to us some utility funds, park levy funds, REET funds, grant moneys and private/public partnership funds.  We hope to partner with sponsors.  We may have to go out for a ballot measure after our interim trail is completed, in order to complete the master plan.

 

Doreen Marchione, Kirkland City Councilmember Position 7 (incumbent)

 

1) What can Kirkland do on a policy level to support the growing Safe Routes to School movement and the many communities that are working to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school?  How can the city best cooperate with the public school system?

 

Kirkland has supported the Safe Routes to School movement. The Council adopted the 2013 Cross Walk initiative with funds from our recent levy for roads and sidewalks.  We have installed new crosswalks with flashing beacons at 6 schools and will be doing this for 9 more schools by the end of the year.

 

2) Suburban cities throughout the Puget Sound region have tremendous pedestrian infrastructure needs such as sidewalks, pathways, and enhanced pedestrian street crossings.  Are you satisfied with your city’s current level of funding for pedestrian improvements, or would you raise or lower it?  If you would like to spend more money on pedestrian infrastructure, how would you accomplish this?

 

We accomplished this with the passage of our levy last year.

 

3) There has been much discussion about developing a regional trail along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail corridor.  Do you support development of a regional trail along this corridor, and what actions would you support to fund it?

 

We have already purchased our portion of the trail and are currently dong a Master Plan for what we call the Cross Kirkland Corridor (CKC).   We included funds for the CKC in our parks levy and have also received funds from the state.  I actively supported the purchase & lobbied for state funds.

 

Kyoko Matsumoto, Mountlake Terrace City Councilmember Position 4 (incumbent)

 

1) What can Mountlake Terrace do on a policy level to support the growing Safe Routes to School movement and the many communities that are working to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school?  How can the city best cooperate with the public school system?

 

We have already supported this program.  We have added several routes to our schools with various grants.  I think we have worked together with the school district closely on all our projects.

 

2) Suburban cities throughout the Puget Sound region have tremendous pedestrian infrastructure needs such as sidewalks, pathways, and enhanced pedestrian street crossings.  Are you satisfied with the current level of funding for pedestrian improvements in Mountlake Terrace, or would you raise or lower it?  If you would like to spend more money on pedestrian infrastructure, how would you accomplish this?

 

We are already working on a pedestrian friendly city.  Our Transportation Master Plan has all modes of transportation identified.  We have mapped a walkable city and have made improvements as we get funding.  We have plans to add sidewalks to our neighborhoods annually and we are working on a trail that will connect a major trail (Centennial Trail) to our Transit Center via a Lakeview Trail.

 

3) Sound Transit has limited funds available to promote rider access to the Link Light Rail system.  Current plans call for spending much of this money on building structured park & ride lots at future station locations, although they also spend some money on new sidewalks and other pedestrian facilities near stations.  Given this tradeoff between Sound Transit spending on parking facilities and pedestrian infrastructure, which is your preferred priority for Mountlake Terrace?

 

We are already a part of the Sound Transit Light Rail plan as the first station in Snohomish County will be at our Transit Center.  We also already have in our Town Center Plan and our neighborhood plans, sidewalks and other transportation choices.

 

4) What specific actions would you support to improve pedestrian access to the future Sound Transit Link Light Rail stations in the city of Mountlake Terrace?

 

We will work with Sound Transit to link our Light Rail station with all forms of transportation.  Pedestrian friendly sidewalks and walkways, bike lanes and more.  Most of this is already in our Transportation Master Plan.

 

5) Sound Transit is currently considering two locations for its future Link Light Rail station around 236th Street SW, either at the current I-5 freeway station or further east at the current Mountlake Terrace Transit Center.  According to Sound Transit, the latter station has significantly greater potential for transit oriented development and would increase daily boardings by 1000, but would also cost an estimated $20-30 million more.  Which location do you prefer and why?

 

We would prefer the latter because it is closer to our Town Center and we spend the last 10 years planning for this station in our Town Center Plan.  As the study found, more people will use the light rail if it were located closer. The middle of the freeway is a long ways to go when you are walking to the station from a residence in the Town Center.  We are trying to encourage people to walk to the rail station, not drive to the rail station.

 

6)  Sound Transit is also considering adding a second Mountlake Terrace station at 220th Street SW.  According to Sound Transit, this station has moderate potential for transit oriented development and would add 200 boardings, but would also cost an estimated $30-50 million.  Do you favor or oppose this station and why?

I am in favor of this future station because eventually ridership will justify more stations.  This one on 220^th will serve Edmonds and the hundred s of jobs at the Premera campus just down the street.  Funding for this station may not happen for many years, but at least we can have the rail run past there to be ready for the future.

 

Joe Van, Candidate SeaTac City Council Position 6

 

1) What can SeaTac do on a policy level to support the growing Safe Routes to School movement and the many communities that are working to make it safer and easier for kids to walk to school?  How can the city best cooperate with the public school system?

 

We need to work with the school district and the parents and plan the routes accordingly to the neighborhood.   I feel that the people that are writing the policy actually get out there and walk the pavement with the kids and parents so they understand what is going on.

 

2) Suburban cities throughout the Puget Sound region have tremendous pedestrian infrastructure needs such as sidewalks, pathways, and enhanced pedestrian street crossings.  Are you satisfied with your city’s current level of funding for pedestrian improvements, or would you raise or lower it?  If you would like to spend more money on pedestrian infrastructure, how would you accomplish this?

 

I am not very happy with the level of funding with in our city.   I would raise the level of funding to ensure that we have safe paths to schools, community ctrs, stores, and parks.   We need to protect our residents while they are walking.

 

3) Sound Transit has limited funds available to promote rider access to the Link Light Rail system.  Current plans call for spending much of this money on building structured park & ride lots at future station locations, although they also spend some money on new sidewalks and other pedestrian facilities near stations.  Given this tradeoff between Sound Transit spending on parking facilities and pedestrian infrastructure, which is your preferred priority for your city?

 

We have a lot of parking with in our cities. We are considered to have a lot of black top parks (parking facilities).   I would like to see more people walking to and from the light rail, restaurants and hotels.   It makes it more enjoyable to see residents and guests walking around the town.

 

4) What specific actions would you support to improve pedestrian access to future Sound Transit Link Light Rail station at Angle Lake?
(No answer provided.)
5) The future Link Light Rail station at Angle Lake has great potential to encourage the establishment of walkable transit oriented development around the station.  What specific actions would you support to foster this development?
(No answer provided.)