August 16

City asked for help after traffic circle smashed

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This was the scene Friday evening, Aug. 12, ago after a motorist smashed right over the speed circle at Northeast 88th Street and 12th Avenue Northeast.

Now the Maple Leaf Community Council says it will ask the city for help in stopping persistent speeders. “MLCC will request a speed analysis on 88th and ask SDOT if any additional traffic mitigation techniques are available,” writes Joshua Newman, council president.

Northeast 88th Street is the last through street on the north before the Maple Leaf Reservoir Park blocks east-west travel, and as a result gets heavier traffic. It’s also designated as a bicycle route by the Seattle Department of Transportation.

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Sara W

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  1. Yea, I found the ordinance I was looking for
    SMC 11.62.140 Operation on nonarterial streets.

    No person shall operate a vehicle except authorized buses or stages
    exceeding ten thousand pounds (10,000) gross weight on any street that is
    not designated an arterial street; provided, that this section shall not
    prohibit necessary local operations on such nonarterial streets for the
    purpose of reaching the vehicle’s destination or for a pickup or delivery.

    (Ord. 108200, Section 2(11.62.140), 1979.)
    So if these big, uglies come down your street report it!

  2. Traffic circles are very effective on four lane roads and areas where there is enough room to put something substantial in the center. I think on those narrow streets a speed bump makes more sense and would be less costly. Circles are so much more user-friendly when put at intersections where side streets are connected to busy thoroughfares. I don’t see their effectiveness on the already difficult narrow streets.

  3. I like the idea of hiding spikes in the flowers 🙂 ….as for the cost–we always find sales and buy the plants at a reduced price simply because we always end up replacing them due to errant drivers for whatever reason. I vote for speed bumps OR restrict parked cars to one side of the street for more room for moving cars.

  4. As a neighbor commented above, 5th is very dangerous. Using pedestrian crosswalks is like a death trap. People simply wont slow down muchless stop even though it is the law. One guy in a black SUV came within 4 feet of hitting me last month and literally just shrugged his shoulders. (I was in the middle of it in broad daylight.) There is no place anyone has to be that is worth taking a human life for while spending the remainder of yours in prison, folks. Late for work? Go to bed on time. Seriously.

  5. As the other “traffic circle steward” with my neighbor Karen, maybe a bit of history would be helpful in understanding our frustration. About 7-8 years ago, homeowners who lived near the traffic circle were contacted by SDOT asking for volunteers to take over the maintenance of the traffic circle at the intersection of 12th and 88th. The invitation, stated clearly that if nobody volunteered, it would be paved over. I find paved traffic circles unsightly; we don’t need more concrete and asphalt. My neighbor and I agreed to be the stewards and worked with the city to select plants that were appropriate for the unique size of our circle and in response to the slope and grade of NE 88th. We were given very explicit guidelines e.g. size, type and height of plantings, no trees, no fencing, no large rocks or items that would impede safety vehicles. We felt we were working in partnership with SDOT, but have found them not to be as committed or helpful as they initially were. I do think that traffic circles serve a purpose beyond speed control. A nicely planted and maintained circle actually causes many people to slow down to look and engages neighbors and other members of the community in conversation with the stewards when they are working together or individually on the circle. It also improves the look of our neighborhood and sends the message that we care about our community. The real issue is that the circle is prone to damage for the various reasons already cited i.e. speed, carelessness, poor visibility and vandalism. It is now time to think seriously about planting a tree that can be sustained by the circle parameters and allows for visibility of the reflector sign, but also screens the sun from drivers’ eyes when heading east or west. A tree with a high canopy is called for. This may not address the carelessness or vandalism issue, but it would make the circle more visible and perhaps easier to maintain and less prone to destruction.

  6. In retrospect, I too heard the accident but mistook the noise for construction crews working along our street. Personally I despise the confounded traffic circles but genuinely appreciate the neighbors who work so hard to beautify our neighborhood. Having their efforts continually get destroyed must be an endless frustration – I’m surprised they keep at it.

  7. i hate to be the gloom n doom on this post…but… something tells me that this was done by youthful SOBs who don’t give a #R#$# and I doubt much can be done to prevent this from happening again. I applaud those who keep up the circle…but maybe plant cheaper stuff next time. Sorry.. just being realistic here…

  8. This is why they never should have done away with stop signs for traffic circles. This is what happens, no crying now just live with it and replant. But please do not ask tax payers to fund another usless study at tens or thousands of dollars or more.

  9. I live near this traffic circle and believe I heard the crash. We were the ones that discovered the mess. At the time it happened the sun was just going down and it was extremely hard to see. Granted, the driver was probably going too fast, and I’m really surprised they didn’t stop and tell anyone. Regardless, I think a big tree is just what this traffic circle needs. In some cases it might impede some vision, but in most cases it would actually help, especially at sunrise/sunset, which is when this accident happened. Thank you to Karen and Ginger for their efforts to keep this traffic circle beautiful!

  10. we had the same problem in Ballard near the Post Office on 17th and resorted to concrete rubble around the planting. It stopped the cars but the city removedc it, and the drive overs started again. The circle reverted to weeds and we no longer cared to throw good money after bad. Someone else is trying to garden there now and I wish them luck.

  11. It’s not the fault of the traffic circle, it’s the fault of a discourteous driver. So let’s not start talking about paving over it, etc.
    Seems like some concrete blocks behind the plants would be a good idea. Paint them with something that will leave identifiable marks on the vehicle — fluorescent pink?
    Thanks, Karen, for making our neighborhood more beautiful!

  12. Most every traffic circle in my neighborhood looks like this, they are a ugly, a nuisance and should be removed as they obviously serve no real purpose.

  13. @david, I was told by Seattle, (20 years ago) no speed bump, it’s an obstruction, not allowed. That seems to have changed, don’t know. Your “line of site”, I question that because the recommended speed is 15 mpg, along with caution (slowing down on approach) is expected. Emergency vehicles should only have a slight (seconds) delay on the last block or 2. Delay vs. T-Bone accident. If you follow the rules, 10 to 15 mph on that street, they are safe and effective. Now, if you still try to drive @ 25 mph we all have a problem.

  14. Are we sure it was a speeding car and not a large truck? I see big trucks routinely jump the curb on our traffic circles as well as the corner by my house, they drive a couple feet into my yard sometimes. We have narrow streets with cars parked along them and tight corners and traffic circles, it makes it pretty tough for large trucks to negotiate.

  15. The traffic circles are very expensive for the city to put in using tax dollars, they impeed emergency vehicles and often trees are planted in them that reduce forward vision while driving making things even worse. I understand residential streets need help with traffic in the neighborhood. The solution is a speed bump, it is much cheaper, needs no maintenance and can be designed as high or long and low as needed to slow traffic. This would go much farther in reducing speed with less money, instead this city puts up circles that cause more problems and cost more money.

  16. Can we get a speed analysis on 92nd between Roosevelt and 5th, too? People fly down here to cross the I-5 overpass, and it’s a downhill, sort-of one-way street. Our current traffic circle is intact, but countless cars have been hit there.

  17. So it seems it was correct to point out that the much cheaper “Yield” signs would have done the same amount of good. Not only is the city unimaginative, they spend money like it belongs to someone else. (Oh, right, it does!) Probably the only way to really do some good is to hide some spikes in the flower beds.

  18. Typically those signs are downed by people who are driving way too fast, as you can tell from the bend in the post from that photo. (Surprisingly often: the drivers are kids joyriding stolen cars.)

    Bumper-height concrete barrier posts (which could be landscaped around) are about the only thing that would deter this stuff, but the city is often reluctant to take such steps because (a) those cost money and (b) the city needs firetrucks to be able to move through these circles. It seems like a little creative thinking or experimentation could address both those issues, but SDOT is not good at creative thinking.

  19. This seems to be a problem with many of the traffic circles. The one by my house on 12th and 97th had a beautiful Maple Tree only to have it knocked down by a car last summer. I hope the city can do something about this.

  20. I’ve seen people with legitimate reason to drive over the edges because they’re in huge vehicles, but nobody should need to drive straight down the middle of the planter.

    Maybe an obvious red barrier immediately in front of the flowers on each side would deter people.

  21. My neighbor and I maintain this circle and have spent countless hours planting bulbs, plants, watering, and pulling weeds; only to see our efforts destroyed time and time again by motorists. Sometimes out of being careless, being malicious, or truly by accident. People speed down this street without abandon at times. Hopefully, the speed analysis will help determine how to keep this area safer for all and keep our traffic circle blooming.

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