Monday, April 25, 2016

"Slow Down" Signs Stolen Stolen From Dangerous Suicide Hill (NE 41st Street)

 





A Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) Board Member, Robin, let the Laurelhurst Blog know that "Slow Down" signs he put out near Suicide Hill have been taken.

Robin, who works on road safety with the Laurelhurst Community Club, has  over many years witnessed accidents and near misses. He has been working for several years now on improving the safety in that area.


And neighbors have continually reported speeders driving in excess of 50mph down the hill. Neighbors also say that drivers unfortunately go too fast to even read the Slow Down signs. 

Robin told the Laurelhurst Blog Staff:

At our last LCC meeting we were all rather pleased at all the new 20 mph speed limit signs posted up and down the south side of NE 41st Street which added 
to my SLOW DOWN signs on the north side of the street.  
My signs have been up for over 2 years but the others are brand new and have been up just 2 weeks. 

Last week every one of the signs on both sides of the street were stolen. This is the third time mine have been removed.

This is the very last of a batch of my "SLOW DOWN" signs
.  All the rest have been stolen over the past three years.

Last January SDOT made changes to the dangerous area that included:
  • Cutting back trees for visibility, especially those on on the north side of "Suicide Hill" and in the right-of-way to improve sight lines for all who travel along the corridor. This work will occur on NE 41st Street between 42nd Avenue NE and 43rd Avenue NE.
  • Replacing faded regulatory signs at the intersection and refresh the stop bars.
  • A  new advisory sign indicating an advisory speed of 15 mph going downhill will be installed west of the Laurelhurst Park entrance and a new 30 mph speed limit sign will be posted at a location east of 48th Avenue NE or 50th Avenue NE for the westbound direction.
  • Remarking the stop bars.

Last October the Laurelhurst Blog posted about a dog that was struck and killed by a speeding driver on NE 41st Street and in  December we reported about two car accidents, one in which one person left in an ambulance and the other the speeding driver lost control and hit the median sending one tired into the fence at Talaris and knocking part of it down.


Robin reminds drivers that the speed limit for all Seattle streets, unless otherwise posted, is 25mph.

If anybody has any idea who could have done this or where the valuable signs are, please contact laurelhurstblogger@gmail.com
   

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