Seattle Times article about Belltown ticket trap (Bellevue, Newport: neighborhood, construction)

[phoenixmike11]

Belltown ticket trap turns drivers into

Not sure if this issue of Belltown ticket trap has been discussed in the forum yet but if it has not, people who drive in downtown Seattle might want to read this article

[wutitiz]

That's crazy but not surprising. Seattle is run by flim-flam artists. I moved to Bellevue about 14 years ago; I doubt that the city leaders here would ever pull a stunt like this. I won't be getting a ticket on the "woonerf" because I almost never set foot (or tire) in Seattle city limits now.

Anyway, thanks for the heads up, OP.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by wutitiz

That's crazy but not surprising. Seattle is run by flim-flam artists. I moved to Bellevue about 14 years ago; I doubt that the city leaders here would ever pull a stunt like this. I won't be getting a ticket on the "woonerf" because I almost never set foot (or tire) in Seattle city limits now.

Anyway, thanks for the heads up, OP.

Not exactly, but a few years ago I got a ticket in Bellevue, a place I regard as a speed trap. Going down the hill on Lakemont Blvd, near I-90. The speed limit is 40, but when it hits Newport Way, it abruptly drops to 30. And behind the underpass? Your friendly neighborhood police officer. I'd be awfully surprised if a bunch of others didn't also receive tickets there.
I think if you can correctly spell " woonerf", you shouldn't get the ticket.

[wutitiz]

Originally Posted by Ira500

Not exactly, but a few years ago I got a ticket in Bellevue, a place I regard as a speed trap. Going down the hill on Lakemont Blvd, near I-90. The speed limit is 40, but when it hits Newport Way, it abruptly drops to 30. And behind the underpass? Your friendly neighborhood police officer. I'd be awfully surprised if a bunch of other didn't also receive tickets there.
I think if you can correctly spell " woonerf", you shouldn't get the ticket.

Point taken; I have heard of people getting tickets on NE 8th on the way to/from Crossroads where there is a long downhill. You have to ride your brakes to avoid exceeding the limit (IIRC 30), and I don't like doing that. I've never gotten a ticket but have heard tales of such.

But that's a far cry from the Bell St. 'sitting duck' scenario in Seattle.

[mike62pp3]

This makes me completed ashamed of our city. I love our city so much, but these tactics are completely shameful, deceptive, and do not represent the city that I know and love. I wish they would've turned the entire street blocks into 100% parks instead of making them a woonerf. But this...this makes me so mad.

[JBVirtuoso]

Do people really not read signs when they're driving? I'm really hoping this is mostly people who got used to being able to go straight through and were surprised by the change. The signs are very visible and clear. The Google Street View images predate the new signs, or I'd post a link.

The city's safety improvements are meaningless if there's no enforcement to go with them. That said, this is a haphazard change to a poorly implemented woonerf. Being on it is only mildly less stressful than the other downtown streets, especially because Bell Street still carries bus routes. With better design, enforcement isn't necessary because it's obvious how the street should be used.

[GatsbyGatz]

I love Seattle, but our city planners are completely incompetent. Traffic control in downtown is so convoluted and illogical with signs everywhere that you'd think that city planners were actually trying to purposely perplex people.

All other US downtowns have very intuitive and user-friendly traffic directions. Downtown Seattle is straight out of Alice in Wonderland.

[benleis]

Maybe I've been working there too long but I'm not sure what you consider so different about signage and traffic directions downtown versus any other city.

[JBVirtuoso]

Originally Posted by benleis

Maybe I've been working there too long but I'm not sure what you consider so different about signage and traffic directions downtown versus any other city.

The traffic control systems in Seattle are definitely a bit of a puzzle compared to what other US cities have, whether you're driving, cycling, or walking. It's not just a downtown problem - most of the city has similar issues. There are all sorts of strange intersections created by having three different street grids. Numerous traffic issues over the years have led to incremental restrictions in an attempt to improve the situation. As examples, consider all those no left turn signs on Denny, the sort of bus only 3rd Ave, the confusing 2nd Ave traffic signals with the new cycletrack, the monorail having its own lane on 5th Ave even though it's elevated, and the complete closure of sidewalks for construction projects. Other cities just don't have these issues.

[Botev1912]

Originally Posted by GatsbyGatz

I love Seattle, but our city planners are completely incompetent. Traffic control in downtown is so convoluted and illogical with signs everywhere that you'd think that city planners were actually trying to purposely perplex people.

All other US downtowns have very intuitive and user-friendly traffic directions. Downtown Seattle is straight out of Alice in Wonderland.

I especially HATE the signs that say no turn 9-5 or whatever. If you have to read everything on such signs, you will most likely crash somewhere. That's why there are electronic signs if you want to prohibit a turn or something else occasionally.