In 2009, the city of Kent reported that on a daily basis over 11,500 cars travel the 256th Street corridor from just east of 104th Avenue Southeast to 116th Avenue Southeast.
Our neighborhood defeated the city’s numerous LID (local improvement district) attempts for many reasons, lack of pedestrian safety and increased traffic among them. Nonetheless, the city secured funds elsewhere and the road widening, bike lanes and sidewalks are nearing completion.
This nearly three-quarter-mile stretch – where school and Metro bus stops are located on both sides, as well as apartment complexes and countless students walk to/from school an additional mile away, has no crosswalk to give them any semblance of safety in crossing this busy three-lane road.
The city is failing in its basic moral, if not legal obligation, regarding pedestrian safety … putting more value in planting trees and grass than the paint and simple signage for a crosswalk.
The city of Kent secured a grant and will begin work in 2015 repainting existing pedestrian crosswalks, re-striping lines and the installation of a new mid-block pedestrian crossing near 113th Place Southeast along Kent-Kangley. This is a good thing, but why is the city “holding” funds for future pedestrian crossing on Kent-Kangley and giving pedestrians on 256th nothing?
I won’t cite the statistics on potential preventable deaths to come as even one is too many. The cost for a “slow pedestrian crossing” sign is $49.95. What is the value of a life these days?
– Susan Thompson
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