Tony Chiado

It is often enough said that Seattle is a North/South city. The street grid is built to move people up and down the map, but not over and across it. For Southeast Seattle, pedestrians and cyclists live this truth to an even greater degree. While the city has invested in healthy streets and protected bike lanes on Beacon Hill and in the Rainier Valley in recent years, almost all of the routes are North/South connecting important commercial districts on the southside. Unfortunately, the lack of East/West connections that prioritize pedestrians and cyclists is readily apparent for anyone trying to get to the beach from Beacon Hill or Mount Baker Station from Mount Baker.

I recently suggested on Bluesky that the city should make Walker Avenue a Healthy Street to better facilitate access from Beacon Hill to Mount Baker Beach and vice versa.

Justifying the Healthy Street

Looking on a map, the justification for Walker Avenue as a Healthy Street becomes self-evident. But I’ll spell out some of the key reasons for the reclassification of the street:

1. Walker Avenue is less than a mile long and is not a heavily trafficked road for cars. Moreover, it dead ends at staircases on either side.
2. There are sections of Walker Avenue that have no sidewalks, effectively pushing pedestrians into the street anyway. Best to proactively clarify that they have priority over drivers.
3. A Healthy Street on Walker Avenue would connect the future park at 18th and Walker, Martin Luther King Jr. Park, Amy Yee Tennis Club, and Mount Baker Beach. That greenspace connectivity cannot be understated.
4. The intersection of Walker and Rainier is centrally located for the growing mixed use district that stretches through the Rainier Valley between the Judkins Park station and the Mount Baker station.

Honey Do List

Designating Walker Avenue as a Healthy Street is a great start, but there are other things that would elevate the experience for pedestrians and cyclists on the street, too. I’ll lay out some ideas here:

1. Thanks to the recently passed Shared Streets Law, Seattle can further prioritize pedestrians and cyclists on its non-arterial streets while lowering the speed limit to 10 MPH. Every Healthy Street should get this treatment.
2. Commercial. Walking along Walker Avenue, one notices that just a block off Rainier, any commercial uses die. The development of commercial like wine bars, cafes, etc. would be highly popular for those taking trips to and from the beach.
3. More density. The introduction of Healthy Streets to our cities is great, but one can’t help but notice they are primarily on streets predominantly lined with single family housing. All Healthy Streets should be immediately upzoned to allow for midrise buildings. We shouldn’t push all of our new housing onto noisy arterials. It is unjust.

Let’s make this happen. Walker as a Healthy Street means better connectivity for Southeast Seattle. Between each other and to the spaces and things we love to enjoy.