A photo journal of Aurora Ave N through Woodland Park
By Doug MacDonald
It was a fine recent afternoon (September 21st) for a stroll. What better opportunity for a walk audit of the sidewalks on Aurora Avenue North through Woodland Park and its nearby precincts. First, though, some highlights featuring irony, serendipity and a couple of the worst examples of sidewalk abominations to be seen in an overall walk of about 2.2 miles total length, or anywhere else on a major arterial in Seattle. This is how SDOT, aspiring in its Council-adopted Pedestrian Master Plan to be “America’s Most Walkable City, actually presents its sidewalks to the walking public.
First, an ironic introduction: honor to our Nation’s veterans. Shouldn’t everyone know (but many probably don’t) that the Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs, yes, garden clubs, has bestowed on this Aurora stretch the designation as a Blue Star Memorial Highway honoring the Nation’s veterans of World War II. Only five locations in Washington State share that distinction. You would think that would earn the maintenance of this corridor at least a little respect.
Second, serendipity. Just north of Woodland Park is one of my favorite Aurora landmarks. The Eiffel Tower apparently repurposed into a ham radio beacon. A very nice touch. Well-maintained and more visibly woke than quite a lot of the Aurora streetscape. Because of the way this is hidden from the southbound travel lane by a fence, it is really only to be appreciated from the sidewalk. Another reminder of what can and should be the pleasures of walking in urban landscapes
The new townhouses perched above Aurora Avenue North, looking to the south
Now, abominations. Before examining the actual walk through Woodland Park itself, two nearby horror shows. The worst, on the west side of Aurora, between 71st and 72nd where the townhouse development at the site (once a church) has left the Aurora sidewalk a total wreck. The responsibility for this is on the City of Seattle, probably SDCI. Either through lax permitting of this development or the lax inspection of a disastrous default by the developer, the Aurora sidewalk, on which these new townhouses now perch atop a crumbling (on to the sidewalk) retaining wall, is virtually impassable. Nobody is going to fix it now. The blunder (was it at SDCI?) to have let this happen is inexcusable and the relevant actors, wherever they are, who screwed this up should be publicly identified. Thanks a lot for the irretrievable mess that is all that is left of thew distant memory of a sidewalk..
The current ridiculous condition of the sidewalk. How does this mess pass even for months, then years?
And the mess goes right around the corner on to 72nd.
Almost as bad a sidewalk brackets the Woodland Park section at the other end of the park, between 49th and 50th. If anyone thinks that this utterly unacceptable condition for pedestrians should somehow be left to the abutter to attend to, that clearly will not do. The abutting property is an abandoned fire-gutted ruins in its own account. No help coming from there. So SDOT just takes a pass?
Now, let’s take that morning’s walk. First on the Aurora Avenue sidewalk on the east side of Aurora. First we walk up the only sidewalk on Whitman Place North. We can turn around to look over our shoulder at the inattention to basic vegetation management: no sidewalk left at all.
Then we are on the Aurora sidewalk itself, cheek-by-jowl with the bus lane.
Passing through Woodland Park, the basic characterization of the sidewalk is that it is an unattended mess. Duff and trash accumulation, more vegetation (nasty blackberry canes right across the sidewalk), an un-repaired smashed fence, through which the bank tumbles across the sidewalk.
But here is something interesting. Somebody - SDOT, Seattle Parks, maybe WSDOT - actually shows up instantly when vegetation blocks the roadway (heaven forbid that would happen!). Whoever answers the call brings a chain saw and clears away the obstruction. Interesting. What would it take to get this attention to the sidewalk? Maybe even once a year?
To reverse direction and head north on the west side of Aurora, one must use the underpass at 50th which is the gateway to the detour to examine the absolute mess in the 4900 block, noted above. Then a dangerous scramble (no painted crosswalk) to regain the Zoo-side sidewalk north of 50th.
Which soon mimics everything seen on the east side, except maybe worse: More vegetation, litter and trash, the additional problem of several bad uplifts
Eventually reaching the end of the zoo and park at this horrendous crossing of North at 59th. And shortly, a bizarre sign: There is no “crosswalk” of Aurora the entire length of Aurora in the direction suggested by this sign. Another “What were they thinking” moment. SDOT? Or WSDOT?
From this spot to the north, the sidewalk right-of-way is in terrible condition, some because of abutter encroachment and neglect, some because of SDOT/WSDOT neglect with no one to point to but themselves:
Then come “sidewalks” north of 65th lots of people regularly use every day. For example, to get (single file, at best) from the neighborhood to the popular signaled crosswalk for reaching Green Lake.
Eventually, after you pass the entire block of smashed up, overgrown sidewalk between 71st and 72nd noted at the beginning of this survey, you will reach the defective crosswalk at the busy intersection of Winona (good luck to you dodging the right-turning vehicles on to Winona from whom you have no protection of a painted crosswalk, although it is supposed to be painted by SDOT) and shortly after that find yourself squeezing past a non-compliant (with SDOT public space management regulations) sidewalk blocking eatery/drinkery.
So who exactly is responsible for attending to these unacceptable conditions, one after another. Without transparency as to that responsibility, how can accountability be achieved? Without accountability, next year in September this will be just as it is now, only a year’s worse. Your tax dollars (not) at work.