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I moved to Shoreline in 1980 when I was young, so I walked, bicycled and used public transit. But I grew older, and as you get older you can no longer walk as far and bicycling becomes difficult or impossible. Transit has changed to focus on access to light rail. And scooters? Haha.
Plans for the City include more biking, more walking and less driving. However, this is practical only for younger people. There are a lot of people that live beyond that mobility age and those people also need the means to go to the store to buy food or pick up prescriptions. It is unrealistic to think that people can continue to only walk or bike or use public transit all of their lives.
If you want to go to a local grocery store to buy a few things you will need a vehicle because you need a means to bring everything home. It is difficult to carry several items home if you are a senior and walk to the store.
If you need to buy groceries for a week, it is important that you’re able to go to the store and buy those things and get them home. You may not be able to do this if you have to balance them on a bicycle or carry them when you walk all of the way home.
If you have to buy just a few things for yourself, or you and your partner, then you may be able to do it. But if the family is more than you and your partner, you have to have the ability to carry several things home - including milk, soda, laundry detergent and other heavy items.
I believe that our city is so focused on getting people off of the roads that we have forgotten that people need to have access to things even if they are unable to use a bicycle or walk and carry heavy things. Even some younger people can’t or don’t wish to carry 30 or 50 pounds from the store to their home. At least there are now delivery options.
By the way, it does occasionally rain here.
I’m not against walking. I still walk daily but cannot carry groceries home.
We have to remember that there are many ages in Shoreline. It’s also important that people remember that laws and other changes to what we can do, whether you call it zoning or priorities, need to support everybody - not just a few young people or the disabled.
If this is not what you want, then fine, just tell people that this is a city only for people who are young. We are supporting only people who are riding bikes or walking, and if you are too old to do either of those things, then move somewhere else.
The City needs to continue to support people who are older so that they can continue to live a real life in the City of Shoreline.
We need to remind the Shoreline Council members that they represent all citizens.
If you need to buy groceries for a week, it is important that you’re able to go to the store and buy those things and get them home. You may not be able to do this if you have to balance them on a bicycle or carry them when you walk all of the way home.
If you have to buy just a few things for yourself, or you and your partner, then you may be able to do it. But if the family is more than you and your partner, you have to have the ability to carry several things home - including milk, soda, laundry detergent and other heavy items.
I believe that our city is so focused on getting people off of the roads that we have forgotten that people need to have access to things even if they are unable to use a bicycle or walk and carry heavy things. Even some younger people can’t or don’t wish to carry 30 or 50 pounds from the store to their home. At least there are now delivery options.
By the way, it does occasionally rain here.
I’m not against walking. I still walk daily but cannot carry groceries home.
We have to remember that there are many ages in Shoreline. It’s also important that people remember that laws and other changes to what we can do, whether you call it zoning or priorities, need to support everybody - not just a few young people or the disabled.
If this is not what you want, then fine, just tell people that this is a city only for people who are young. We are supporting only people who are riding bikes or walking, and if you are too old to do either of those things, then move somewhere else.
The City needs to continue to support people who are older so that they can continue to live a real life in the City of Shoreline.
We need to remind the Shoreline Council members that they represent all citizens.
Pam Cross
Shoreline
I VERY much agree!
ReplyDeleteI'm a senior and I have no trouble getting my groceries. Safeway delivers for a reasonable fee, and I have backpacks of various sizes that work very well. However - I use transit and the number of buses not running, and drug dealers/users and people with severe mental issues on the bus (the vast majority of whom have not paid), is a huge deterrent to using them. While I'm referring mainly to the E line, other routes have the same problems. Metro's app frequently tells me my bus has been cancelled AFTER it should have arrived. I have never seen a transit cop, nor have I ever seen anyone checking fares on the E line. When the light rail first started I'd see fare checkers - but no more. Shoreline needs to tell Metro that if they want to use our streets they need to clean up their buses and come up with route schedules they can actually provide. Put cops on the buses so we feel safe. Get the druggies off the buses and into programs to help them. Other cities around the world don't have this problem, and some even have free transit for seniors.
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DeleteI agree completely. I would also like to see benches for sitting along certain stretches of road or path that is meant to be used by pedestrians as well as bicycles, such as that stretch along 195th between 1st and Meridian. An occasional bench would be a welcome place to take a break during a walk for us seniors who are still trying to get regular activity into their lives.
ReplyDeletePam, I am confused: just what specifically do you want from the city? I have been in North City for a couple of years longer than you and have also seen changes. Walking is a challenge for me also (I'm in my 90s). But when I need groceries, I drive without any problem. I can go to Safeway, Freddies, or even Winco in Lynwood easily. Safeway even deliverers to my neighbor. I don't need any help from the city. So just what is it that you want?
ReplyDeleteNot everyone is so self-sufficient as they age. Many will not be able to drive into their nineties. Appreciate your luck but please have compassion for those who are not so lucky.
DeleteCompassion isn’t a problem here. She’s asking a reasonable question. I’m also confused as to what Pam is wanting from the city. I empathize with Pam’s situation, but if they want change, then they need to be clear about what the problem is and what change they’re looking for.
DeleteThank you for this. I too, often feel that that the city leadership neglects that fact that our neighborhoods didn't grow around a business district that was easily accessible by walking and public transit. Ours is a post WWII auto centered suburban city. Our services and amenities were never planned to be accessible by anything other automobiles. Simply telling people to walk, transit or bike for their needs is a myopic solution to our transportation needs.
ReplyDeleteI'm honestly not clear what the ask is here.
ReplyDeleteSafeway and Costco have plenty of parking.
Oorah, Pam Cross! Exactly right. The vast majority of people living in a burb have cars. The majority of adults don't want to use electric bikes because staying drying is more important. The road diet hurts the majority when it squishes a formerly two lanes (one direction) into one lane. Motorists have taken to ignoring the designated bike lanes.
ReplyDeleteLet me applaud the LFP council who appear to not have bought into the same mess Shoreline did.
I totally agree Pam Cross about the need to consider all citizens in making plans for transportation. I would also add that there are young families with children who would not be able to use bicycles for transportation. Anita Bingaman
ReplyDeleteExactly Pam. Especially important in a community that is not fully sidewalked and has adequate crosswalks for safety. Be realistic and inclusive those who are in planning departments.
ReplyDeleteShoreline already has a complete road network for driving and, in most places, plentiful parking. What it doesn't have is a complete network of sidewalks and bike lanes, which is why that's currently a focus.
ReplyDeleteExactly, I agree.
Delete!00% agree. We need more bike lanes and sidewalks. Full stop.
DeleteThank you for this letter. It's a good reminder that adults of at all stages of life usually drive at least some of the time.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those too! And there are many more!
ReplyDeleteI agree with issues about Metro mentioned above. When I first moved here Metro bus was much more highly functional. And now numerous bus routes were eliminated , which hurt the elderly quite a bit such as Route 73, forcing older people to walk much further to connect with light rail. Also this bike lanes in middle of a street are actually encouraging more dangerous situations and potential road rage. Metro cut out routes that we here in Shoreline used to get downtown to work so cars were not necessary.
ReplyDeleteAlso these scooters and bikes are not so safe. I saw a mother pick up her child and put her in front of her on the green bike seat and neither had helmets. Off they went into traffic. More and more accidents are happening with these scooter and bikes because people are taking chances and not wearing helmets. Our tax dollars could be better used by more efficient bus routes that provide better service than worse going forward. People would use the buses more if they were better coordinated routes and safety factors like transit police. That also gets people out of their cars. Bikes are used by 2% or less of people. Many of us have severe asthma and other issues, whether old or not, and bike riding in polluted air helps no one. Better buses and more connections, and let us keep our trees and urban forest too instead of the continued poor judgement of some who like to scapegoat the trees because they mistaken conclude that the trees block transportation projects etc.
I'm confused by what this article is even arguing for. I agree with Pam there should be more businesses closer where people actually live. But it does seems odd to want more people to have to drive...doesn't that make congestion, traffic, and vehicle access worse? Could car dependence be a financial burden for the families and "people who are older" Pam is advocating for? It seems entirely possible to me that people may outlive their ability to drive. Maybe this is all just an ask for the city to provide rain jackets to pedestrians...I could get on board with that.
ReplyDeleteHear, hear Pam Gross! Also the roadside cars now parked on the way to light rail are impediments to walkers!
ReplyDeleteAnd totally agree that cars are a necessity for many of us! And cyclists and scooters are often not careful about pedestrians.
Unlike several commenters I understand what Pam Cross is asking for… for the city council to remember that not everyone is capable, for many and varied reasons, of using bikes and scooters to make up for gaps in bus service. The light rail does not solve every transportation issue, though it is a great asset. I have lived in Shoreline for almost 80 years so I have seen many changes. Not all have been good ones. I specifically moved to North City so I could age in place as most of my family live in other states now. It had a post office, drugstore, grocery store and a few restaurants and a hair salon. Now many of those are gone, some replaced by large apartment complexes. Those apartment buildings were not required to provide ground floor commercial space. Now I drive to Aurora or Lynnwood for post office business and to Edmonds for a drugstore. (The two Walgreens on Aurora are full of empty shelves apparently due to shoplifting problems). I worry how I will manage when I can no longer drive. I feel abandoned by our city council.
ReplyDeleteVery well said! As a senior I agree wholeheartedly
DeleteThe vast majority of Shoreline transportation infrastructure and network is already centered around cars. What is being done now is to restore some balance to allow other forms of mobility, for those who choose not to drive cars. It's about having more options.
ReplyDeleteI agree that if we are to use the Shoreline North Light Rail there needs to be more parking there! Many of us have doctors on Capital Hill, events in Seattle, children to ferry to daycare or school, long commutes. Lack of parking at the light rail pushes folks to use their cars for long freeway commutes.
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