Monroe residents fight for road safety

Monroe residents Rosie Tatel and Mary Peterson-Clark have parallel missions. Peterson-Clark would like to see pedestrian flags available for use in downtown Monroe. Tatel would like to see heightened safety measures implemented at the intersection of S.R. 522 and U.S. 2.

Both have become advocates for pedestrian and bicyclist safety in Monroe.

Pedestrian flags

Peterson-Clark was spurred into action after a recent trip to Duvall, where she noticed that they have brightly colored, hand-held pedestrian crossing flags at numerous downtown intersections.-á She contacted the Duvall Chamber of Commerce and obtained information about the flags, passing it along to Monroe Mayor Geoffrey Thomas.

As a pedestrian, she has had several near-misses in the downtown Monroe area.

"I have nearly been hit more than three times downtown at [the] intersection of Lewis and Main Street,GÇ¥ Peterson-Clark said. "Another bad spot is crossing by Jeno's.GÇ¥

Peterson-Clark has been frustrated by what she considers to be a lack of response from city officials. She has sent emails, done research and even penned a letter to the editor that was published in the Monroe Monitor & Valley News.

"I'm sick of having to run across the streets. I lost a friend years ago ' she was hit and killed crossing the street by 7-Eleven,GÇ¥ Peterson-Clark said. "Why is this such a big deal for the mayor? Can't he see there is a definite need here? You want people to shop downtown? They are scared to cross the street!GÇ¥

There are mixed reviews in terms of the effectiveness of pedestrian safety flags. The City of Seattle implemented a pilot program in 2008, adding pedestrian safety flags at 17 locations around the city. After three years, the Seattle Department of Transportation decided to end the program, citing reasons of ineffectiveness and frequent flag theft.

Some locations weren't even able to be evaluated due to the fact that the flags were stolen so often.

But in Kirkland, the pedestrian flag safety program has been considered highly successful. Implemented in 1995, the city uses bright yellow or orange flags that have been installed at approximately 73 different locations. The flags have also been successfully deployed in the city of Duvall, which initiated its program six years ago.

As a part of the Main Street Plaza project, Mayor Thomas is actively seeking ways to improve pedestrian safety in the downtown area and is open to the idea of using pedestrian flags.

"I'm supportive of the orange flags,GÇ¥ Thomas said. "There's a general recognition that we need to do a better job in regard to pedestrian safety.GÇ¥

He is also hopeful that the new pedestrian bulb-outs on East Main Street at both Ferry and Lewis streets will serve to both improve pedestrian safety and streamline accessibility. Bulb-outs, which are also known as curb extensions, are designed to extend the sidewalk so that the roadway becomes more narrow and easier to cross.

The Main Street Plaza project is scheduled for completion this August. After that, the mayor is hopeful that additional safety measures can be implemented.

Bike safety

Rosie Tatel has long advocated for improved safety measures at the intersection of S.R. 522 and U.S. 2, even going so far as to offer her own money to make the improvements. She has given public testimony, accumulated data and communicated frequently with Monroe city staff, Snohomish County, the Washington State Department of Transportation and 39th District legislators.

When Tatel moved to Washington state with her first husband, Barry Stankevich, in 1991, finding a city that was safe for bicyclists was at the top of the couple's priority list. Both originally from New York, Stankevich had been severely injured on his bicycle at age 13, when he was struck by a vehicle. It took many years, but he was eventually able to overcome his injuries. The couple settled in Monroe and enjoyed exploring the area on their bicycles.-á

In 1993, Stankevich suffered a medical incident while riding his bike, causing him to collide with a dump truck on S.R. 203. Sadly, Stankevich did not survive the accident. Although the accident wasn't due to driver negligence or unsafe crosswalks, bicyclist and pedestrian safety is always on the forefront of Tatel's mind.

Now married to Harvey Tatel, Rosie's bicycle is still her primary means of transportation.

"Some people just aren't meant to drive,GÇ¥ Tatel said.

Her concerns about the intersection at S.R. 522 and U.S. 2 are multi-pronged. According to Tatel, when the intersection was altered in 2011 to include the flyover ramp from the eastbound lanes of S.R. 522 to the eastbound lanes of U.S. 2, it caused three key things to happen, which she believes worsened pedestrian safety in the vicinity.

Firstly, it eliminated the possibility of utilizing the south side of U.S. 2 to traverse straight from 179th Avenue S.E. to North Kelsey Street, since there is no pedestrian-friendly way to navigate the flyover. This necessitates the usage of the north side of U.S. 2, which Tatel has found to be perilous due to swiftly moving traffic and vehicles turning right ' both on red and green lights.

Additionally, there was a small "refuge islandGÇ¥ situated in the westbound S.R. 522 onramp that could be used by pedestrians waiting for traffic to ease. A pedestrian walking westbound could cross over to the island once the right-hand turn lane was clear and then wait on the island for the pedestrian crossing light to indicate that it was safe to cross. The "refuge islandGÇ¥ was removed when the intersection was updated.

Finally, the intersection alterations lengthened the westbound approach to the S.R. 522 onramp, which has resulted in swifter moving traffic. According to Tatel, prior to the intersection modifications, the approach measured roughly 300 feet. Currently, the approach stretches for roughly one-quarter-mile, giving cars time to reach much higher speeds.-á

And Tatel fears that simply incorporating stricter regulations on when vehicles can turn right won't be an effective solution, since a large part of the issue is that pedestrians are given a green light at the same time as the westbound traffic. Establishing a no-right-on-red zone doesn't have an impact when cars turning right on green lights are simply failing to yield to pedestrians. Although a "turning traffic stop for pedestriansGÇ¥ sign was eventually installed on the westbound approach after Tatel was nearly hit in 2012, she has found that it's not adequately enforced.

Tatel has even offered to pay for the city to post a traffic enforcement officer at that location. She feels that maybe if tickets were given to vehicles that failed to yield, it would help set a precedent that drivers need to be more cautious and on the lookout for pedestrians.-á -á -á -á -á

Thomas is aware of Tatel's issues with the intersection and requested that the item be added to the city's legislative priorities for 2015. Each year, the city establishes a list of projects that the mayor, staff and council will advocate for down in Olympia, and this year, pedestrian crossing at U.S. 2 and S.R. 522 made the list. Since U.S. 2 and S.R. 522 are maintained by the state, the city doesn't have immediate jurisdiction.

"I am concerned about the 522/U.S. 2 interchange, and Rosie has done a very good job of expressing her concerns,GÇ¥ Thomas said. "We are working with the state of Washington to do a better job of improving pedestrian safety at that intersection.GÇ¥

Tatel returned to the Monroe City Council meeting recently, engaging in another call-to-action.

"I want it fixed before someone is hurt or killed,GÇ¥ Tatel said.

The mayor is hopeful that a solution will be forthcoming, and he plans on pursuing the issue. One possible solution would be to add brightly flashing crosswalk lights that would activate when the east-west stoplight on U.S. 2 is green, and he is planning to follow up with the state to see what can be done.

"I just want to get it done before something happens,GÇ¥ Tatel said.-á