A report from The Urbanist of the imminent demise of the pedestrian and cyclist crossing at NE 45th over I-5 is overstated. Ever since 2015, we’ve been working to improve the crossing for cyclists and pedestrians, including getting the project funded as part of the Levy to Move Seattle. We’ve also gotten the project voted to the top ranks through “your voice, your choice”, and as the top priority for district 4 of Seattle Greenways. Through all these community actions, SDOT has complained that working with WSDOT is too hard, so they have chosen to fritter money away on their …

This is part 2 of our 2 part series asking questions of mayoral candidates. Harrell replied, Gonzalez did not.

Wallyhood: You have a reputation as a consensus builder, but as we saw with Ed Murray that can mean offering platitudes to the public while letting downtown power brokers make all the decisions (see: HALA). As things work today, find it / fix it requests are followed through on only occasionally. Social media and email to bureaucrats in government and city council reps are replied to only during political campaigns or if you have connections to people that matter. Public comment …

We wrote to the Harrell and Gonzalez campaigns with a couple questions for Wallyhood. The Gonzalez campaign went silent despite multiple requests for comment. Harrell came through with flying colors though, so we’re running each answer as a post on Wallyhood.

Wallyhood: Jenny Durkan has been saying that before Covid-19, 40% of our homeless population became homeless outside Seattle, but now that number is up to 60% and climbing (note: this means that if Seattle’s population of homeless is constant, then we’ve seen a 50% increase in our homeless population strictly from people coming to Seattle). The mayor has said …

Traffic is not-so-great right now. Take the annual return of rainy traffic, add in work due to the “Green Lake and Wallingford Paving & Multi-Modal Improvements” project, and then layer on I-976 passage and the future can look pretty bleak. The governmental reaction to I-976 so far has simply been to throw a legal tantrum, but there is an opportunity for Seattle government to pull up their big boy pants and practice good governance.

King County taxpayers subsidized transit by 6 billion dollars in 2018 while asking nothing of single-occupant car commuters. The passage of Tim Eyman’s I-976 knocked 381 …

Warning: This is going to read like a sponsored post. I’m just a “fan” of eco-solutions, and a whole house fan is one of those things that’s a win-win all around (see, it’s starting already).

Only about a third of Seattle households have air conditioning. Before the days of climate change, it really wasn’t necessary. After a couple 90 degree days in June, it’s tempting to give in and get central air conditioning installed, especially since the hottest months (and years) are yet to come.

Unfortunately, central air is very expensive to install and operate, plus all that electricity use …

One of the best things about Wallingford is the walkable sidewalks we have, separated from roadways by planting strips. Unfortunately, sometimes trees or hedges or other vegetation blocks those sidewalks, especially when it’s raining outside.

Legally, sidewalks and planting strips are public land that adjacent property owners are responsible for maintaining. People are required to keep their sidewalk entirely clear up to a height of 8 feet. The first-time penalty for violating that ordinance is $150. The penalty for additional violations is $500.

If you are on good terms with a neighbor and can be diplomatic and see them outside, …