Safety is the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT)’s number one priority, and we are committed to improving safety for everyone who uses our transportation system. In Seattle, we want people of all abilities – from our five-year-old kids to our 80-year old grandparents – to be comfortable moving about the city, whether on foot, by bike, riding transit, or driving a car. As part of our commitment to safety, SDOT will be making safety improvements where Woodland Place N and N 65th Street intersect, which will be the site of a new RapidRide E Line Station Stop on the eastside of Woodland Place N. With the new RapidRide transit service, the route that pedestrians will naturally want to follow will shift to N 65th Street. As part of the safety improvements, a new curb extension on the southwest corner, curb ramps, and marked crosswalks on the east and north legs will be installed at this intersection.
After examining the relatively low traffic volumes on N 65th Street and Woodland Place N, current walking, biking, and driving behavior, and the existing sightlines, SDOT determined that an increased level of awareness can be provided by installing stop signs for motor vehicles on eastbound N 65th Street, on southbound Woodland Place N and making northbound lefts from Woodland Place N to N 65th Street. SDOT anticipates that the improvements will be in place by the end of summer.
As with any other stop sign, drivers will be required to stop at the new marked stop line (SMC 11.50.320) and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian or bicyclists to cross the roadway within the marked crosswalk (SMC 11.40.040). Pedestrians on the Woodland Place N and N 65th Street sidewalks have the right-of-way, like on any other sidewalk, driveway or street (SMC 11.44.120). Sightlines are unobstructed when everyone does their part in maintaining their vegetation. As a reminder, property owners are responsible for clearing the sidewalks from edge to edge and trimming back any tree branches that are less than 8 feet above the sidewalk (SMC 15.42.020).
Please remember that even with the improvements, everyone using our roadways still needs to be attentive to their surroundings when they are using this or any crosswalk and should observe all oncoming traffic carefully. SDOT will continue to assess the traffic control at this location over the next year, and if we find the intersection is not performing as anticipated, we will revisit the project.