Mayor Durkin has formally announced that 1/3 mile of Beach Drive is being added to the Stay Healthy Streets Program. The section runs from Alki Avenue and 63rd Avenue to along Constellation Park to Beach Drive and 63rd and will be closed to vehicles. This stretch of Beach Drive has seen a lot of traffic from cruisers and I’m sure the residence will appreciate not having to deal with the steady stream of traffic in their views.
I do wonder how much this, combined with the failure of the West Seattle Bridge, will impact the rest of Beach Drive and how it will impact homes just off the newly closed Beach Drive. I think we will see increased traffic and will it be more challenging to find parking near our homes. It’s already quite a challenge to cross Beach Drive along Emma Schmitz View Point or Me Kwa Mooks Park. Perhaps with the Stay Healthy Streets Program, the City should be adding crosswalks along Beach Drive and zoned parking for residents?
Stay safe and enjoy this sunny Mothers Day!
NOTE: Post has been updated to correct the area the road is closed.
Great idea! Now if they can just do a better job of enforcing the rules (and speed limits) at Mee-Kwa-Mooks and points south (and that includes dealing with the persistent transients who violate camping and parking rules with impunity!), I’ll really be happy!
I’m concerned that the new rules are too ambiguous and that somebody is going to get hurt on the stretch of Beach Drive across from Constellation Park. I’ve witnessed a few close calls already, with drivers and bicyclists not looking out for each other. I saw a biker almost get hit by a car that was turning onto Benton Place SW. I’ve seen cars rounding the corner from Alki Avenue to Beach Drive come perilously close to little kids on bikes and scooters.
Better signage would help. My suggestion would be to post prominent signs that say “no thru traffic” and “local access only,” and then enforce it by ticketing drivers who decide the rules don’t apply to them. I also think it would make sense to lower the speed limit to 10 mph. Even 15 mph is too fast when you’ve got cars and 5-year-olds on scooters sharing the same road.