Neighborhood Notes

“Stuart Gwin of PDOT will be meeting with representatives from King, Concordia, and Vernon to discuss traffic safety issues along Killingsworth, as there is an allocation of PDOT funds dedicated to improving conditions.  If you have opinions about traffic conditions along Killingsworth, specifically between MLK and NE 10th, please let us know by responding to this posting.  Are you concerned about sidewalks?  Visibility? Traffic lights? General speed? Biking?

Give your input to: Maureen Mimiaga melspethk@yahoo.com

See below for some issues that other neighborhoods have mentioned as examples:

Northeast Killingsworth Traffic Safety Issues

This is a list of traffic safety issues collected by residents who live near NE Killingsworth between MLK and NE 72^nd Avenue.

Vernon Neighborhood

• Speeds are high - evident by fact that people commonly park their cars on sidewalks between NE 14^th and NE 17^th to avoid getting their rearview mirrors smashed.  Lack of street trees and vertical, visual cues induce speeding.
• Not safe for bicycles - there is a lack of formal, parallel routes.
• Sidewalks in extremely poor condition.
• No marked pedestrian crosswalks in the business node.
• NE 15th and Killingsworth signal is at failing level of service at peak times - backup of cars waiting to pass through is extensive. This causes cut-through, high-speed travel on neighborhood streets, NE 14th, 16th and 17^th.
• Access management for market at NE 16th and NE Killingsworth needs to be addressed - multiple entrances/exits to parking lot create possible vehicle-pedestrian conflict points

Concordia Neighborhood

• NE Killingworth narrows considerably when it crosses NE 42^nd going west.  Drivers speeding down the wide section between NE 72^nd and NE 42^nd do not transition their speed to the narrow western section.
• There are only 4 stoplights along NE Killingsworth between MLK and 42^nd, which encourages drivers to pick up excess speed.
• Very few drivers stop for pedestrians wishing to cross NE Killingsworth at NE 30th even at the crosswalk.  A pedestrian activated stop light, like at Vernon School between 20 and 22nd, would get traffic to stop for pedestrians.
• At high-use hours, traffic backs up for 2 blocks or more at NE 33rd and NE 42nd.  Left turn signals need to be added at 33rd and 42nd. Now at most one or two cars can turn left, usually on yellow turning red.
• A somewhat similar situation exists at MLK and Killingsworth, where many cars avoid the turning left bottleneck by passing MLK and using residential streets before coming back onto MLK.
• Cars generally park up to intersections, making it difficult for drivers to see other drivers and pedestrians.  On-street parking means that car doors are opening onto a speedy street. Night times are dangerous.  There is little sidestreet parking because of dense housing.
• Plans by Concordia University to build an arena at NE 42nd just off NE Killingsworth mean that up to 1500 cars could be added to the both streets at event times, with unfamiliar drivers searching for both on and off street parking in the mix.

Cully Neighborhood

• There are only 4 signaled crosswalks from 42^nd to 72^nd. The width of NE Killingsworth St. together with the numerous speeding cars make crossing NE Killingsworth St very hazardous for pedestrians.
• Posted speeds are 40 mph, except in front of Trinity Lutheran Church and School, which has a 20 mph flashing sign (This CAN three years to get the city to install). Bus passengers often have no designated sites to cross the street. Dusk and nighttime hours finds people crossing (often running and darting, some with small children) the street at random places as there are often few real intersections.
• The Transportation Report for the Central NE area illustrates several pedestrian and bicycles injuries and even death along this stretch of road. Pedestrian activated signals and marked crosswalks would help. So would pedestrian islands where there would be only marked crosswalks (with no signals).
• Much of NE Killingsworth St. has only a curb and no sidewalk at all. Many vehicles travel faster than the posted speed, making it extremely dangerous for bicyclist and pedestrians since there are very few properly sized and maintained sidewalks.
• The Hacienda Community Development Corporation has over 300 units of housing within the NE Killingsworth Corridor.  These low income/affordable housing units are occupied mostly by families who often walk and push baby carriages to nearby schools, church and grocery stores.
• New development will continue to bring more vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists to the street.  A 53 housing project by HOST development on 64^th and Killingsworth and a 22 unit development on 44^th and Killingsworth are both projects due be completed in 2008.
• Also, the master planning for Thomas Cully Park has begun.  The neighborhood envisions this site located along 71^st and 77^th   between NE Killingsworth and Columbia Blvd as a large regional park that will be a destination for baseball, soccer and tennis enthusiasts and as a place to go to relax and enjoy the mountain views.  This park will impact traffic density at this end of the NE Killingsworth Traffic Safety Corridor project.

Prepared by the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods Land Use & Transportation Committee in conjunction with Central Northeast Neighbors, Cully Association of Neighbors, Concordia Neighborhood Association and Vernon Neighborhood Association