CHOKEPOINTS

Seattle’s new traffic diverters getting mixed reaction from residents

Aug 4, 2017, 7:42 AM | Updated: 8:36 am

Traffic diverters have been installed by the City of Seattle near Aurora Avenue, where drivers were using side streets instead of many arterials. (Chris Sullivan/KIRO Radio) Some residents say drivers using side streets to avoid traffic on roads such as Aurora Avenue were creating dangerous situations.  (Chris Sullivan/KIRO Radio) Other neighbors say more signage needs to be installed, arguing the diverters just make things worse.  (Chris Sullivan/KIRO Radio)

With increasingly bad traffic, drivers are looking for the fastest way to get around, even if that means cutting through neighborhoods that were never designed to handle heavy traffic.

RELATED: Everett gets creative with new footbridge and sewer line

Seattle is trying to combat that with new traffic calming devices.

I received a text from a KIRO Radio listener asking me about new traffic diverters that went in this week in his neighborhood, which is a few blocks west of Aurora Avenue along 90th Street.

The traffic diverters block through traffic and are confusing to many non-local drivers that are looking to avoid the north-south backups on Aurora or the east-west backups on 85th Street. Drivers can use 90th Street as a cut-through from Greenwood to Aurora.

Seattle calls them diagonal diverters because they cut the intersection in half on a diagonal line. It forces drivers to turn at the intersection. There is no way to go through, unless you are walking or on a bike.

Susan Saba has lived near 90th and Linden Avenue where one of these new diverters went in.

“The amount of cut-through is tremendous,” she said. “Both morning and evening — all day long. And people are very fast. They do not obey the speed limit and they go every which way over the medians. We just had our trash cans busted before this went in. High-speed cars coming in hit our trash cans and just left.”

She and her husband, George, have lived there for nearly 25 years.

“People use Linden all the way from 105th down to the zoo, instead of Aurora … this becomes Aurora,” he said.

The City of Seattle placed diverters in to cut down on speeding, which inevitably cut down on the amount of through traffic, forcing cars back onto the arterials, as designed. The change came after safety complaints from the neighbors.

But not everyone is excited to see them. Dave has lived in the neighborhood for about 15 years and says they just makes things more difficult.

“[Drivers] are still cutting through the neighborhood … Now there are just people driving through the neighborhood instead of the one pass-through.”

It also means residents have to drive around several blocks to get to their homes. That’s something Susan Saba doesn’t mind, but she does wish the city would put in better signs to warn drivers about the change.

“There is not enough warning of what is coming up ahead. They need to get more signs in because this is an unusual traffic revision people have never seen before, so they are trying to figure it out and that is not safe.”

She’s not kidding. In the 15 minutes I watched at one of these diverters, I witnessed three near-head-on collisions.

The problem with this design is that there’s only enough room for one car to turn at a time, and drivers can’t see if there’s someone coming in the other direction, nor do they expect one. What you get is one driver turning left and another turning right directly into each other’s paths.

I’ll be watching to see how drivers adapt.

Tell Chris about a Chokepoint or ask a traffic question @kirotraffic via Twitter.

Chokepoints

I-5 overpass 145th seattle...

Chris Sullivan

Sullivan: I-5 overpass at 145th in Seattle to close

The North 145th Street overpass of I-5, right there at the new light rail station, is about to close for seven months.

7 hours ago

Photo: WSDOT crews pump concrete at new Veterans Drive tunnel....

Nate Connors

Late night I-5 closures coming up this week as WSDOT works on new tunnel

Contractors WSDOT are prepping for work on the new Veterans Drive Tunnel beneath I-5, adjacent to State Route 516.

20 hours ago

Image: A Pierce Transit Stream Bus can be seen in Pierce County....

Micki Gamez

South Sound travelers may opt for transit after major service change

It's been seven years since Pierce Transit announced a major service change. The change means more access to Tacoma and the region.

2 days ago

headphones windshield obstructions...

Chris Sullivan

Sullivan: Driving with headphones, windshield obstructions in Washington

It's another episode of "rules of the road," I'm tackling two driving questions: Using headphones or windshield obstructions while driving.

2 days ago

four-way stops...

Chris Sullivan

Sullivan: Why do so many people get freaked out at four-way stops?

There is no mystery to how four-way stops work, so why do so many people mess up this simple maneuver?

7 days ago

There's a right way and a wrong way to turn into traffic with a bus lane. (Graphic: Bill Kaczaraba,...

Chris Sullivan

Sullivan: Sweeping bus-only lanes, what’s the right move?

I received feedback from my story on lane sweeping last week. But what happens when you are turning and the closest lane is restricted?

9 days ago

Seattle’s new traffic diverters getting mixed reaction from residents