4/1/26 Leschi Community Meeting: Lakeside Ave Traffic Calming

SDOT Presents Lakeside Ave Safety Plan to Leschi Community, Residents Push for Faster Action

Seattle Department of Transportation officials outlined traffic calming plans for Lakeside Avenue South at the April 1st Leschi Community Council meeting, while residents voiced frustration over the pace of safety improvements in the neighborhood.

David Burgesser from SDOT’s Vision Zero department and Adonis Ducksworth, Senior Transportation Policy and Operations Manager, led the presentation, which covered ongoing speed studies, upcoming project timelines, and broader funding context for safety improvements in the Leschi area.

Funding and the Vision Zero Program

The presentation opened with an overview of Seattle’s 2024 Transportation Levy, which allocates $70 million over eight years to support the Vision Zero initiative — the city’s effort to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries. The program funds safety redesigns on high-injury corridors, responsive safety projects at high-collision locations, leading pedestrian intervals at intersections, and traffic calming measures across the city. For Lakeside Avenue South specifically, Vision Zero has earmarked $300,000 for traffic calming and safety upgrades.

What the Community Walk Revealed

SDOT staff joined community members on a walk of the Lakeside Avenue South corridor in February to observe conditions firsthand. What they saw aligned closely with what residents had long been raising: drivers failing to yield to pedestrians at crosswalks, speeding — particularly near the retaining wall by South King Street — and a complicated and confusing intersection at 35th Ave S, South Lane Street, and South Dearborn Street. Community members also expressed a desire for wider sidewalks, more and safer crossings, and stronger traffic calming measures overall.

Speed Study Results Paint a Mixed Picture

Two rounds of speed studies were conducted along the corridor. Data collected in November 2025 between East Yesler Way and South Leschi Place showed that 26% of drivers were exceeding the 25-mph speed limit, with the 85th percentile speed — a standard measure of prevailing free-flow speed — recorded at 26.8 mph.

However, a follow-up study conducted in March 2026 at the same location told a more concerning story: nearly 66% of drivers were exceeding the speed limit, with the 85th percentile speed climbing to 28.9 mph and southbound drivers traveling noticeably faster than northbound. A separate March 2026 study between Lake Washington Boulevard and East Yesler Way showed 29% of drivers exceeding the limit, with an 85th percentile speed of 27.1 mph.

A Long-Term Plan for Lakeside Avenue

With $300,000 earmarked from the Transportation Levy, SDOT presented a project timeline for the comprehensive Lakeside Avenue South safety improvements targeting planning completion in 2026, design through mid-2027, and construction beginning in late 2027 and extending into 2028.

A Parallel Path for Smaller Improvements

While the comprehensive Lakeside Avenue South project works through the planning and design process, the District Project Fund offers a potential avenue for getting smaller-scale safety improvements — such as new crosswalks or intersection changes — implemented sooner. The Leschi Community Council has been working with Councilmember Hollingsworth’s staff to prioritize improving the cross walk between BluWater Grill and Leschi Market.

Final project selections are expected by June 1st, with construction planned for 2027 and 2028. For residents frustrated by the long timeline on larger projects, the District Project Fund represents a meaningful opportunity to see tangible changes in the neighborhood on a shorter horizon.

Progress Near Leschi Elementary

Community member Emma Nowinski, a parent and PTA member at Leschi Elementary School, provided an encouraging update on school-area safety efforts. All-way stops and marked crosswalks have been installed at 31st and Spruce and 32nd and Spruce — improvements aimed at making drop-off and pick-up times safer and more orderly for students and families.

Community Frustration Over the Pace of Change

While attendees acknowledged the work SDOT is doing, the Q&A session surfaced a recurring tension: residents feel the city moves too slowly in responding to community requests for safety improvements, whether that means adding a crosswalk or evaluating an intersection for stop signs.

SDOT panelists encouraged residents to continue channeling requests through the Leschi Community Council, which can consolidate concerns and bring them to the appropriate departments more effectively than individual submissions. However, the panel did not offer a clear explanation of how projects are prioritized once concerns are received — a gap that left a number of attendees unsatisfied.

Ongoing engagement

For street issues that need immediate attention, SDOT reminded residents that the Find It Fix It app and the city’s dedicated road line at (206) 684-7623 are available resources, with potholes typically repaired within 72 hours of being reported.

Beyond those issues the Leschi Community Council will continue to work with SDOT to address traffic safety concerns of the community. We collect them, consolidate them and therefore can advocate more effectively than individuals reaching out SDOT. If you would like to raise a traffic safety concern, please fill out our feedback form, or email us at leschicouncil@gmail.com.