LCC Board Member, Katherine Burk, started "Safe Montlake Passage," in 2017 to advocate for modification of the proposed UW E1 parking lot (the lot between the driving range and the stadium) development plans, included in the UW Master Plan, into a redesign to create a well lit bike/pedestrian path to create a direct route from the neighborhood directly to Link Light Rail.
The Safe Montlake Passage proposal also includes a bus/rider drop off/turnaround, carpool drop-offs and designated parking spots for rideshare parking such as Car2go, ReachNow and others, for improved NE Seattle ridership on Link.
The 2018 10-year UW Master Plan "identifies 86 potential development sites and the need to build 6 million net new gross square feet of building space on the Seattle campus during the life of the Campus Master Plan. The additional space will accommodate anticipated growth of students, staff and faculty of 15 percent between 2018 and 2028."
The LCC newsletter published:
LCC trustee Katherine Burk is involved with Safe Montlake Passage, which advocates for improved multimodal and equitable access to the Ship Canal transit area at the UW Link Station. Safe Montlake Passage meets regularly with the UW about accessibility issues.
While the UW Link Station serves the Northeast Seattle, North Capitol Hill and Montlake communities as well as the University, the UW is operating under the assumption that the new Brooklyn Station will be the station for these communities. This thinking is shaping their policies and approach to solving the multimodal challenges that exist accessing UW Link Station and the Ship Canal Transit Center.
As stakeholders, riders need to advocate that due to geography and proximity this assumption is erroneous and that the UW Link Station (the Ship Canal Transit Center) will be used by neighbors north and south of the Ship Canal even after the Brooklyn Station comes online.
Car Share access is improving. As of July 31, UW designated three Zip Car spots in the E17 parking lot (the lot adjacent to the UW Link Station). Zip Car is a less flexible car share vendor as users must end their trip at designated parking spots. In August, SDOT designated four parking spots on Montlake for CarShare (Car2Go, ReachNow). Safe Montlake Passage owes a special thanks to ReachNow, who spearheaded this effort. Safe Montlake Passage would love to know if these spots are helpful to you; specifics are super helpful as we work with UW to provide more parking at the station (safemontlakepassages@gmail.com). The UW will soon finalize agreements with Car Share vendors to allow parking in designated spots in the E17 lot.
Metro and SDOT have been working with the UW to redesign bus stop locations and to add a bus lane pullout and stop adjacent to the UW Link Station on Montlake. Adding stops on the opposite side of the street as well as other pedestrian services (possible food trucks, etc.) are also under consideration.
Plans to redesign the E17 parking lot are underway; however, they do not include solving the larger design problems with accessing the station. The lack of a “kiss and go” drop off area in the original design of the station created the unsafe and confusing situation for taxi, RideShare, and private drivers that we all experience today.
There is an opportunity for the UW to coordinate with Metro and SDOT in a larger effort for the changing bus stops mentioned above. For example, rerouting buses through the lot, along the pickup area and out at the light at Pacific and Montlake would solve a multitude of ridership issues, not the least of which is pedestrian safety. This lack of coordination is a missed opportunity for the ridership community.
Improvements to Montlake Boulevard are needed for safe pedestrian/bike routes, but there are currently no plans. Multimodal improvements are desperately needed north of the UW Link Station. UW supports these efforts but is not actively advocating for new or improved routes.
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