Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) 2024

Petition for Traffic Calming and Safety Improvements on 71st Ave SE

We, the undersigned, are concerned residents of the neighborhood along 71st Ave SE, from 24th St SE to the junction of 70th and 71st Ave SE. Our community elected a traffic safety committee in 2021. Our top priority is ensuring the safety of all street users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.

Despite previous communications with the city, where we highlighted unsafe conditions, only spot changes facilitated by Lia Kleine (formerly Transportation Engineer) have been made. The street remains hazardous. A few weeks ago, there was almost a head-on collision with a child bicyclist and a car driving too fast around the corner.

We have been grateful to work with Rebecca O’Sullivan (current Transportation Engineer) this year to begin addressing our concerns with a holistic solution. This street serves as a crucial pedestrian artery into the First Hill neighborhood and requires immediate attention for the following reasons:

1/ Limited Visibility at Corners: The intersection at 71st Ave SE comprises a 90-degree and a 120-degree corner, both of which have severely restricted sightlines, particularly in the evenings.

2/ Inadequate Street Width: The midsection of 71st Ave SE, especially at 2700 71st, is only 16.5 feet wide—significantly narrower than the 22-foot standard, making it insufficient for two cars to pass simultaneously.

3/ Lack of Safe Pedestrian Pathways: Approximately 20 children under the age of 10 live within 40 feet of this street. They frequently use the street to move between homes and to access school bus stops, yet there are no sidewalks available for safe travel.

Given these critical issues, we urge the city to:

1/ Prioritize street resurfacing for 71st Ave SE in the 2024-2025 maintenance schedule.

2/ Add our street in the regular cleaning maintenance schedule. Our street is currently only cleaned 1-2 times a year.

3/ Conduct a safety review that considers new permanent traffic calming measures to replace the existing spot changes (such as the deteriorating laminated road signs).

We believe these actions will significantly enhance the safety and quality of life for all residents along 71st Ave SE, the larger First Hill neighborhood and the Mercer Island community. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Petition for Traffic Calming and Safety Improvements on 71st Ave SE

We, the undersigned, are concerned residents of the neighborhood along 71st Ave SE, from 24th St SE to the junction of 70th and 71st Ave SE. Our community elected a traffic safety committee in 2021. Our top priority is ensuring the safety of all street users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.

Despite previous communications with the city, where we highlighted unsafe conditions, only spot changes facilitated by Lia Kleine (formerly Transportation Engineer) have been made. The street remains hazardous. A few weeks ago, there was almost a head-on collision with a child bicyclist and a car driving too fast around the corner.

We have been grateful to work with Rebecca O’Sullivan (current Transportation Engineer) this year to begin addressing our concerns with a holistic solution. This street serves as a crucial pedestrian artery into the First Hill neighborhood and requires immediate attention for the following reasons:

1/ Limited Visibility at Corners: The intersection at 71st Ave SE comprises a 90-degree and a 120-degree corner, both of which have severely restricted sightlines, particularly in the evenings.

2/ Inadequate Street Width: The midsection of 71st Ave SE, especially at 2700 71st, is only 16.5 feet wide—significantly narrower than the 22-foot standard, making it insufficient for two cars to pass simultaneously.

3/ Lack of Safe Pedestrian Pathways: Approximately 20 children under the age of 10 live within 40 feet of this street. They frequently use the street to move between homes and to access school bus stops, yet there are no sidewalks available for safe travel.

Given these critical issues, we urge the city to:

1/ Prioritize street resurfacing for 71st Ave SE in the 2024-2025 maintenance schedule.

2/ Add our street in the regular cleaning maintenance schedule. Our street is currently only cleaned 1-2 times a year.

3/ Conduct a safety review that considers new permanent traffic calming measures to replace the existing spot changes (such as the deteriorating laminated road signs).

We believe these actions will significantly enhance the safety and quality of life for all residents along 71st Ave SE, the larger First Hill neighborhood and the Mercer Island community. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

We, the undersigned, are concerned residents of the neighborhood along 71st Ave SE, from 24th St SE to the junction of 70th and 71st Ave SE. Our community elected a traffic safety committee in 2021. Our top priority is ensuring the safety of all street users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.

Despite previous communications with the city, where we highlighted unsafe conditions, only spot changes facilitated by Lia Kleine (formerly Transportation Engineer) have been made. The street remains hazardous. A few weeks ago, there was almost a head-on collision with a child bicyclist and a car driving too fast around the corner.

We have been grateful to work with Rebecca O’Sullivan (current Transportation Engineer) this year to begin addressing our concerns with a holistic solution. This street serves as a crucial pedestrian artery into the First Hill neighborhood and requires immediate attention for the following reasons:

Limited Visibility at Corners: The intersection at 71st Ave SE comprises a 90-degree and a 120-degree corner, both of which have severely restricted sightlines, particularly in the evenings.

Inadequate Street Width: The midsection of 71st Ave SE, especially at 2700 71st, is only 16.5 feet wide—significantly narrower than the 22-foot standard, making it insufficient for two cars to pass simultaneously.

Lack of Safe Pedestrian Pathways: Approximately 20 children under the age of 10 live within 40 feet of this street. They frequently use the street to move between homes and to access school bus stops, yet there are no sidewalks available for safe travel.

Given these critical issues, we urge the city to:

Prioritize street resurfacing for 71st Ave SE in the 2024-2025 maintenance schedule.

Add our street in the regular cleaning maintenance schedule. Our street is currently only cleaned 1-2 times a year.

Conduct a safety review that considers new permanent traffic calming measures to replace the existing spot changes (such as the deteriorating laminated road signs).

We believe these actions will significantly enhance the safety and quality of life for all residents along 71st Ave SE, the larger First Hill neighborhood and the Mercer Island community. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

The purpose of this email is to formally follow up on several previous discussions with the hope appropriate action will be taken expeditiously. The problems with bicyclists on the northend are increasing every year as the volume of bike riders has increased with applications that encourage bikers to head through the neighborhoods and the growing competitive nature of biking which is largely due to new legislation which no longer requires bikers to stop at stopsigns. The speed and risks are also increasing as electronic tracking devices now allow riders to compete against one another for better times. Strava is one such application but only represents a small portion of the biking community (less than 10%) and their users just in the 45-54 age group have over 135,000 documented rides over the last several years.

In addition, cut through traffic has gotten progressively worse as the light rail program has been under construction and as driving applications like waze divert cars through neighborhoods. The city has seen the worst of these situations but is likely not aware of the impacts during lower volume days. This is a problem for the area near luther burbank/north mercer way as well as the gallagher hill to WMW cut throughs.

For these reasons i am making the following 3 requests in order of priority:

1.) This is a formal request for an elevated crosswalk be placed on 84th avenue se, between the North entrance of luther burbank (24th) and the south entrance (26th) Luther Burbank to serve as both a speed dampener and a safety enhancement. This will allow local residents who are ederly or disabled the opportunity to safely cross the street. There currently is no crosswalk and people with disabilities cannot navigate the uneven ground to make it to the crosswalk on 24th nor can they navigate between the cars that are parked on the shoulder. This solution, as well as the challenges of the area, have previously been discussed with Jason Kintner and other city staff members. sidenote: making the area a no-parking zone will not fix the problem either. The ground between 24th and 26th is uneven and those with disabilities and the elderly need firm/flat ground. Also, this solution would require them to have to walk all the way down to the southend corner and then have to walk back up north to get to the entrance of the park. A raised crosswalk where 25th would be, if there were a street, is the best solution for car's safety, pedestrian's safety, biker's safety, and those that are elderly or disabled's safety.

2.) This request should be credited to one of the bike groups who saw a post on Nextdoor. They suggested that two speed dampeners (speed bumps), similar to what is in front of the MISD Administration Building, be placed on the downhill side of se 24th street to slow down traffic on the blind stopsign. They would be approximately located at both the entrance and the exit of the community center or otherwise spaced out as appropriate.

3.) Something needs to be done on North Mercer Way by the transit station to protect vehicles and cars. I'm not sure what the solution is but pushing bikers into the neighborhood or not doing anything and not doing anything are not good solutions.

Thank you for your consideration.

The new bike/pedestrian path should continue ALL THE WAY from the south end to the north of the island- connecting us all and helping the "Safe Routes to School" program be successful. Here's the route we need to make this community safe for bikers, e-scooters and pedestrians:

1. Start at 84th Ave SE @ Lakeride Elem. continue past the south ball fields and Islander Middle School on 84th.
2. Turn East at 40th, past the south end shopping center, bus transit and Pioneer Park
3. Turn North on Island Crest Way, past Island Crest Park (and new bike park) and Island Park Elem.
4. Turn West from ICW to 40th, past West Mercer Elementary and Homestead Park
5. Turn North on 78th past Mercerdale Park (and farmer's market), north end shopping and end at the new light rail station, opening in 2025.

Currently, the bike lanes and pedestrian sidewalks are hit and miss along this route. It's dark and very unsafe for both bikers and pedestrians. By following this route and planning to connect the north and south, kids would have safer routes to school, the community more connected and MI a "greener" place to live. Thank you!

-There needs to be bike lanes and pedestrian walking paths from 68th/Pioneer Park all the way to the light rail station. Ebikes will solve lots of future parking issues if you build safe bike lanes.
-More roundabouts on the island! 68th/Pioneer Park (with new art in the center of the roundabout since we don’t have much art on the south end!) and Gallagher hill/40th intersection. That’s a start.
-A turn lane to go “south” out of Island Crest Park is needed since traffic backs up after practices/games and can take 20 min. just to leave the park since cars can’t turn north with so much ICW traffic.
-Pioneer Park needs trail name signs on all the trails. “Flicker Trail” “Fern Trail” etc. so it is easier to navigate. Use signs posts like the Bridle Trails have- makes the park easy to know where you are going.
Thank you, let’s keep MI moving safely👍

I am surprised the current TIP proposes eliminating the dedicated bike lanes along 77th from 32nd (Rite Aid) to the light rail station to create more street parking:

“[SP0136] 77th Avenue SE Channelization (SE 32nd to North Mercer Way). This project will modify existing channelization to provide on-street parking from SE 32nd to SE 27thStreets in the Town Center and provide sharrows in the northbound and southbound travel
lanes to connect to the I-90 Mountains to Sound trail in accordance with Town Center street standards described in MICC 19.11.120. This project is a placeholder and may be modified in the future based on the results of the Town Center Parking Study currently underway".

https://www.mercerisland.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/community/page/13781/detailed_descriptions_of_tip_projects_2024-2029.pdf [List of projects with description].

I understand there are some public comments on the Let's Talk Page and before the council about creating a bike path on ICW from Island Park Elementary School to 68th depending on tree removal, cost, privacy hedges and so forth, but even as someone who is not a regular bicyclist I would think there must be at least one set of dedicated bike lanes through the town center north/south to the light rail station, especially with parking light due to work from home and the city planning to build a large surface parking lot where the old Tully’s is and some of the sculpture garden (a project I am not thrilled with and I think is a waste of the location and all the work the city did to get the insurer to remediate the polluted soil when it was dug up for underground parking ($ 27 million) that will now sit capped forever in our town center on such a critical parcel).(edited)

Daniel Thompson

Would having roundabouts on SE 40th St, especially where it intersects with 88th Ave SE and also Gallagher Hill Rd help with traffic flows, especially during the school rush times? Seems traffic backs up a lot at the stop signs even when there are no alternate cars waiting. I'd think roundabouts could work like the one on N. Mercer. Or, is there a better way to relieve that congestion?

I echo heatherring74's comments about the clear need to accommodate non-motorized traffic on the stretch of 40th/Mercerwood Dr. beween 92nd Ave SE and East Mercer Way. This heavily traveled arterial is shared by pedestrians, cyclists, scooters, dog walkers, baby strollers, joggers, student athletes, and a few brave kids who walk to the high school and Northwood school. While a shoulder of Mercerwood is available part of the way, it's not clearly separated from the roadway and leaves pedestrians, cyclists, etc. vulnerable to vehicles which often appear to exceed posted speed limits. Minimally, consider ways to separate the shoulder from the main roadway, and install sidewalks elsewhere to make it possible to walk, bike etc. in this area without being exposed directly to motor vehicles.

As a long time resident living on the South end who raised three young men on the island, I firmly support building a safe bike/pedestrian corridor along Island Crest Way. After decades of worrying about the safety of that area to children, students, commuters, and myself, it is time to finally create a safe passage. More and more students are riding e-bikes and e-scooters to school and all over the island. The light rail station contains secure storage to encourage bicycle commuters and reduce parking issues in the city center. New funding for bike facilities is available via the state's new $1.3 billion funding of bike and bike education. Surely as a community we can find a solution to safely connect our schools, the library, the city center, and new light rail station with the rest of the island.

Please improve the pedestrian access between the south end of 77th Ave SE and N Mercer Way. There is a large parcel of WSOT Right of Way that has a well traveled dirt trail. Many people from our street and neighborhood use it frequently. It is a great way to quickly get to downtown. But in the winter it gets slippery. It is also tricky with a stroller. This is already public land and about a half acre in size. It will easily accommodate stairs and even a ramp in the future and still retain its greenbelt look.

I have resided on Mercer Island since 1994. I am vehemently opposed to removing trees along Island Crest Way so that bike lanes could be built there (or for any other purpose). I am also strenuously opposed to building a "roundabout" at the intersection of Island Crest Way and 68th Street. I have never - not ever, not even once - experienced any problem at all using that intersection. Nor has it ever occurred to me that the intersection would function better if only a roundabout were built there. If we have public funds to burn on an unnecessary project like this, they would be far better spent replacing our aging water and sewer infrastructure, or on providing adequate parking in the commercial business district at the north end (which developers should have been required to provide as a condition of permit approval). These ideas strike me as a foolish waste of taxpayer money. Enough already.

We are hoping that we will be approved in the next budget for the improvement of our street, 88th Ave SE, a lane just north of Island Park School and parallel to Island Crest Way. It has not been repaved as long as we have lived here, 28 years. It has huge potholes and cracks which make it a hazard to drive down. Large areas of pooling water collect after our frequent rains. Our grandchildren won’t ride their bikes down the street because it is too difficult and dangerous.
We and our neighbors have been requesting road repairs and repaving since 2014 and are very frustrated that they have not made it into the city agenda. This issue easily impacts 20 homes.
We have been working with Ian Powell, street engineer, to address this problem. We have been promised that drainage issues will be addressed in 2025/2026 followed by repaving, but we need assurance the road repairs will be funded in the next (TIP/CIP) budget, and not put off yet again to a future date.

Please approve the budget for the repair and repaving of 88th Ave SE ( nearest intersection Island Crest Way just north of Island Park Elementary), which has significant deterioration and has not been repaved since it was installed in the 70’s.
We have been communicating and working with Public Works to improve the drainage and condition of the road since 2014 and many neighbors are getting quite frustrated by the potholes, safety, and standing water. Many students and families walk on 88th Ave SE to get to and from Island Park Elementary as well.
We have been told that repaving was not prioritized & budgeted for in 2023/2024, but that Public Works has a project in early 2025 to fix the drainage on 88th Ave SE using the design they
develop this year. Once the drainage is complete, they will repave 88th in the summer of 2025.
We want to ensure our concerns are also heard by City Council in the upcoming TIP/CIP and budgeting process as our road is in terrible condition and it gets worse every winter.

Please consider installing a PBF run from 92nd Ave SE, where it currently stops, to East Mercer Way. There are several district bus stops along this stretch of Mercerwood Drive (40th), and it's also regularly used by walkers, high school athletic team runs, bikers, strollers and scooters. My 11-yr old was hit by a car on his walk to his bus stop at Shoreclub Drive & Mercerwood during the busy 7:45-8:00 rush in February 2024. Note there is no safe place to stand for these kids waiting for the bus. The school district has proclaimed this stretch unsafe/ dangerous and doesn't want kids walking to school even though Northwood and the high school are less than one mile away.

I love the new roundabout by the park and ride. I encourage the city to consider other intersections that could be improved by adding roundabouts.

The pavement patches for the water line work on 60th SE and SE 32nd St do not appear to be durable enough to last for 6+ years. These streets are commonly used not just by motor vehicles but lots of cyclists and walkers. Repaving of those streets needs to be accounted for in the TIP now.