Seattle Rule Change Makes it Easier to Add Crosswalks

As Ryan Packer writes in The Urbanist, Seattle's Department of Transportation has just made a policy change that moves the city away from using pedestrian counts to justify painting new crosswalks, a move that pedestrian advocates praise as a step in shifting the focus of road design to people walking and biking.  

"In the new policy, SDOT uses the concept of 'pedestrian generators,' or amenities automatically assumed to generate pedestrian traffic, to create a framework where enhanced crossings are 'consistently provided' along arterial streets where there are certain 'Tier 1' generators." Tier 1 'pedestrian generators' include trail and greenway crossings, school zones, and some transit stops. "There are also 'Tier 2' pedestrian generators, which are '[b]ased on best engineering judgement, enhanced pedestrian crossings should be considered for proactive installation' near these facilities." Second-tier generators include entrances to parks; community facilities like libraries, community centers, and hospitals; "facilities serving high volumes of vulnerable populations;" and transit stops that don't qualify under Tier 1. 

Tier 1 sites will likely receive new crosswalks right away, while Tier 2 locations might need additional analysis to determine a true need.

According to the article, "SDOT’s policy memo states that this change will 'enabl[e] enhanced pedestrian crossings to be planned and constructed concurrently with transit facilities and development anticipated to generate pedestrian demand.'"