Letter to the Editor: Is the City indifferent to resident and visitor safety?

To the Editor:

We asked for a crossing light on 15th Avenue NE and were ignored until a second child, Tia Townsend, was run over in 2005. Is this another instance of the City's indifference to resident and visitor safety?

The two blocks of 148th street between 8th Avenue and 5th Avenue have no walkable route. On work days, commuters park along the street which already has the narrowest right-of-way I know of in the city. 

Pedestrians, including children, airport-bound residents and visitors hauling luggage, all take their lives in their hands as trucks, SUVs, and other vehicles force them to flatten themselves against parked vehicles.

The street is lit incidentally by glare from the light rail station. This makes pedestrians nearly invisible, especially during rain events.

Pedestrian and vehicle traffic has increased many-fold since the opening of the station and it's more frenetic with concurrent traffic revisions at the 145th Street/5th Avenue intersection.

The right of way must be widened.
Parking must be disallowed.
An unobstructed pedestrian route must be established
Lighting must be upgraded.

The council and planning department have treated our neighborhood as a sacrifice zone for the 27 years that I've lived here. Now our lives are at risk every time we venture to use light rail.

The hour is late. Make a short term fix immediately while permanent improvements are considered.
Do this before someone gets killed. Please

Jeffrey M. Eisenbrey
Shoreline