Safer Crosswalks

Want safer crosswalks in the U District?

The Problem

The University District is now the densest neighborhood in Seattle—where most folks rely on walking, biking, or rolling as their primary way to get around. But the infrastructure hasn't kept up:

Only 40% of local intersections have even one marked crosswalk
Only 44% of arterial intersections have a crosswalk at all
Serious injuries from walking & biking collisions are rising!
Non-arterial streets—despite hight foot traffic—are largely ignored

The Opportunity

Seattle voters just passed a $1.55 billion transportation levy, with dedicated funds for safer streets—including new crosswalks. But the U District isn’t yet a priority. We can change that—together:

Cite on the map where a marked crosswalk is needed
Share your crossing concerns on the Find It, Fix It app
Organize a community walk with SDOT & City Council
Support quick-build safety upgrades and long-term fixes

Background

Almost 40,000 people live in the roughly two-square-mile University District, many of whom primarily depend on at least one form of active transportation to get from their homes to work, school, necessary services, and public amenities.

Active transportation refers to modes of human-powered mobility such as biking, walking, rolling, biking, scootering, etc .

According to the concerning data provided by SDOT, as of March 2025:

79 out of 196 (40% of) intersections in the U District have at least one marked crosswalk
60 out of 137 (~44% of) arterial intersections in the U District have at least one marked crosswalk
When asked why non-arterial crosswalks are not often marked, even in high-density neighborhoods like the U District, with more than half of its residents considered members of 'vulnerable populations', an SDOT spokesperson responded: "The City Traffic Engineer makes policy decisions such as this and has determined that investing on low-volume streets by installing and maintaining crosswalks is not the highest and best use of taxpayer dollars, except when it is directly adjacent to a school or within a school zone."
Note: UW campus street/intersection data is not included because it is not managed by SDOT.

Washington State Law states that all intersections are crosswalks unless otherwise indicated. Technically, drivers are legally obligated to stop and remain stopped for pedestrians crossing the road or waiting to cross the road at any legal crossing, whether or not the crosswalks are marked. When no signs or painted road markings exist to prompt drivers to slow down and safely stop for more vulnerable users to cross, ALL road users are at higher risk of injury.

In January 2022, SDOT published new "Enhanced Pedestrian Crossing Location Guidelines" to change the criteria a crossing must meet to be marked. However, the guidelines focus these efforts along arterial roads and corridors undergoing improvements, such as the small segment of the Rapid J-line corridor in just a small portion of the U District. As of now, there are no proposed plans focused primarily on crossing improvements according to a conversation I had with SDOT officials working on the J-line and with James Le, the Senior Civil Engineer with the Vision Zero program.

Seattle voters approved a $1.55 billion transportation levy and one of its goals is to improve crossing infrastructure, so now is the time to rally for our neighborhood!

The Solution

We want to hear what U District active transportation users would like to see change about crossings in the neighborhood, maybe organize a neighborhood walk-through with a city traffic engineer and D4 City Council member Maritza Rivera, seek the support of local mobility experts and advocates in finding temporary low-cost solutions to make crossings safer sooner while more permanent solutions are in the works.

Cite on the Map Where You Have a Crosswalk Concern

Some Safety Treatments Seen in Other Cities

Repaved and newly marked crosswalk on Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley (Noa Resnikoff/March 2025)

Painted curb extension and flex posts for enhanced visibility at Baker Street and Fell Street, a major east to west one-way arterial in San Francisco (Noa Resnikoff/March 2025)

Simple, cost-effective reflective two-line crosswalk is better than nothing on residential streets, this one found at McAllister Street and Masonic Avenue. (Noa Resnikoff/March 2025)

Simple yet powerfully creative approach: chalk-drawn crosswalk at Page Street and Octavia Blvd in San Francisco (Noa Resnikoff/April 2018)

Partners

Partners on the project: There are no official partners we have received information, intrigue, and moral support from folks at:

SDOT

James Le - Senior Civil Engineer with Seattle's Vision Zero program

Christa Dumpys - Neighborhood District Coordinator and Senior Public Engagement Lead - North Sector with Outreach Staff

Drue Neynhuis - Public Engagement Lead - North and Central Sectors with Outreach Staff

Darrell Bulmer - Senior Public Engagement Lead - Central Sector with Outreach Staff

Chad Lynch - GIS Lead - Policy & Planning Division

Kadie Bell Sata - Pedestrian Program Manager

Washington Transportation Safety Commission (WTSC)

Sara Hallstead - King County Target Zero Program Manager

Jessie Knudsen - Walker/Roller Program Manager

Janine Koffel - Distracted Driving, Speed Management, and School Zone Program Manager

The Urbanist publication

Ryan Packer - Contributing Editor

University of Washington
Noa Resnikoff - Researcher and author of this initiative

"I feel there is a lot of potential to strengthen the community by pushing for relatively low-cost safety improvement projects at various intersections throughout U District.

"I recognize it's easy to accept the built environment for what it is: largely favoring personal automobiles. I think a lot about how the 'Slow the flock down' campaign reminding drivers that each intersection is legally a crosswalk. This is only half the battle.

"The other half is painting/marking ALL intersections to plant the cognitive cue to slow down before a crosswalk and to generally encourage slower, safer speeds down U District's many long, straight, uninterrupted roads."

— Noa, 3rd year UW Journalism student

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