Aurora Avenue is a long mess of a highway. We live next to it, near it, drive through, walk across it, and sometimes avoid it. Traffic, injuries, pollution, crime... Aurora has many problems. We asked what the community thinks about Aurora. With over 730 responses, here is what we heard.
Question 1: What’s your favorite area of Aurora and why?
Over a third of respondents say they like the areas along Aurora that offer greenery, trees, and views. These responses referred to the sections running alongside Woodland Park, Green Lake, and the Washelli Cemetery, as well as the views of downtown and (on a clear day) Rainier that drivers and bus riders see as they move southbound through the Fremont section and across the Aurora Bridge.
Meanwhile, 22% of respondents say they look to Shoreline for inspiration on how to improve Aurora. They specifically point out the public art, bike trails and pedestrian overpasses, tree-filled medians, and absence of prostitution and derelict buildings.
Despite the lack of adequate and inviting pedestrian infrastructure, more than one in five respondents like the small business districts found along Aurora: Winona Village (just north of Green Lake), Aurora-Licton Urban Village, and Bitter Lake. The density of businesses and public murals make these budding neighborhood centers a draw for people living nearby as well as people who travel through the Aurora corridor.
Finally, a small contingent likes the efficient north-south connections that Aurora affords to single-occupancy vehicles, while others say they simply don’t like anything about Aurora.
Question 2: What’s your least favorite area of Aurora and why?
More than a quarter of respondents called out the most visible of Aurora’s problems - blight. These answers mentioned the obvious prostitution, drug use, and homeless encampments on and near Aurora Ave. Respondents also mentioned run-down buildings, litter, and the general sense of neglect by the City, especially in the Haller Lake and Bitter Lake neighborhoods.
Related to this, almost 11% of respondents also mentioned feeling unsafe in these same blighted areas of North Seattle. Empty storefronts and properties in disrepair often attract crime. They also are uninviting to pedestrians.
Over 35% of respondents brought attention to the unfavorable conditions for people who are not in cars. When on foot or rolling, people have difficulty crossing Aurora - unprotected crosswalks and heavy traffic at key intersections creates a feeling that Aurora is an asphalt wall dividing communities. While walking and rolling is difficult along almost the entire length of Aurora, it is noticeably dangerous in the sections north of 85th Street that lack sidewalks.
Beyond the mobility concerns for people who are not in cars, six percent of respondents articulated the lack of pedestrian-friendly shopping options. Whether this is due to people having to cross large parking lots to reach storefronts or due to the fact that many of Aurora’s businesses are not conducive to window shopping (think storage facilities and used car lots), many respondents feel that Aurora’s current business offerings and placements are not inviting.
Question 3: How does the Aurora corridor work well?
Three-quarters of respondents recognize that the Aurora corridor is very effective at moving vehicles and buses north-south. In this recognition, however, there is ample nuance. Over half of respondents see the corridor as moving cars well, or at the very least serving as an alternative I-5, meaning it functions well as a highway. More than seven percent of respondents, however, lament that Aurora Ave N only moves traffic efficiently. They wish the corridor would do more to connect neighborhoods, build community, provide greenery or public space, or serve as a safe passageway for people who aren’t in vehicles.
More than 15% of respondents identify bus rapid transit (the E-Line) as working well on Aurora. Many noted that they commuted downtown car-free for years thanks to the dedicated transit lanes along almost the entirety of Aurora Ave.
A smaller group of respondents (nearly 9%) said that the corridor is convenient for accessing businesses or, due to lower rents along the urban highway, hosts many smaller mom-and-pop shops. A small group again, however, laments that the businesses found along Aurora are not necessarily conducive to creating a sense of community (see previous survey question re: window shopping).
Finally, it is telling that over 9% of respondents said nothing works well on Aurora - it doesn’t serve public transit well, it doesn’t create a sense of community, and nor does it even move cars efficiently.
Question 4: How does the Aurora corridor not work well?
The most common critique of Aurora is that it functions as a highway, exclusively serving the needs of automobiles. Over half of respondents noted the high speeds, the lack of transit infrastructure, the lack of bike infrastructure, or lack of sidewalks and safe crossings for pedestrians. These observations connect directly to the more than 12% of respondents who said that the Aurora of today discourages a sense of community and divides existing neighborhoods, especially for people who are not in vehicles.
Even those responding from a car-centric perspective noted that east-west connections along Aurora are not great and that congestion along the corridor is often caused by backed up left-turn lanes and people making right turns on and off of Aurora amidst fast-moving traffic.
Finally, nearly 12% of respondents pointed to the visible crime, prostitution, and drug use along Aurora as the primary example of the corridor’s dysfunction. This sense of danger - both for people on foot and in cars - was often cited as the result of poor urban planning. Three percent of respondents labeled the current zoning conditions as a missed opportunity along Aurora and more than four percent said the collection of businesses currently along Aurora are unappealing and not conducive to a vibrant community.