Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson said Jan. 4 that “pedestrian safety is always of concern,” and she pointed to improvements made on Lincoln Road, Noll Road and in the area of Poulsbo Elementary School to provide more separation between vehicles and pedestrians. She said police emphasis patrols on Front Street recently resulted in 14 traffic citations. The city also invested in a longer-lasting paint for sidewalks and street striping, which is done every spring, she said.
She said the city is waiting for the Washington State Patrol report on the fatal collision of Dec. 15 to decide what to do, if anything, about the crosswalk at Front Street and Torval Canyon Road. We editorialized on this subject on Dec. 29. Here’s what some residents have to say:
— “School bus stops, blind driveways and pedestrians old and young — with no sidewalks — are a recipe for disaster when thoughtless drivers blast a shortcut though our 15-mph family neighborhood at 35-40 mph,” Edward A. Wright wrote in a letter to the editor in this edition. “As our neighborhood’s volunteer HOA president, I regularly have trembling, teary residents contact me about near misses and plead for something to be done.”
At Iverson Street and 8th Avenue, “Cars often pass both east and west through the intersection going much too fast, and not yielding to pedestrians even when they are already in the crosswalk,” Donna Van Renselaar reported.
Solution: Police emphasis patrols in those areas.
—“There are major issues that have to be addressed — better lighting, better signals for motorists,” local resident Ken Wesley told the Poulsbo City Council on Dec. 20. “The timing at the intersections — Bond Road, for instance, I get 10 seconds to walk across the road.”
And at Iverson Street and 8th Avenue: “The short distance from the 305 intersection to [8th] Avenue, combined with the extra-long distance to cross Iverson [at 8th], is a recipe for disaster,’’ Van Renselaar reported. “The orange flags that have been placed in buckets for pedestrians to carry across are inadequate.’’
Solution: Tell Washington State Department of Transportation that the timing of its signal lights must be adjusted on state routes in Poulsbo. The city must also adjust the timing of its own traffic signals.
— “Traffic turning westbound onto Iverson/Lincoln from Highway 305 often cannot see cars or pedestrians crossing northbound on [8th] from the direction of Gateway Church toward Coffee Oasis,” Van Renselaar reported. “Visibility is reduced even more when there are eastbound cars waiting in one or more lanes at the 305 stoplight.”
Solution: As the area’s population has grown, so has vehicle traffic. Study visibility at our intersections and make sure it’s adequate.
— “You better have angels on your shoulder if you try to cross Lincoln Road at one of its poorly marked, faded cross walks,” Wright added. “The heavily used street’s 25 mph speed limit is a farce to those who thoughtlessly sail through at 50 mph.”
Solution: Lighted signage that warns of a pedestrian crossing ahead; crosswalk signs that have LED lights for better visibility at a greater distance; in-pavement crosswalk lights that are activated by push button and create a visual, and visible, boundary; and radar speed-indicator signs, to remind motorists to slow down.
Again, we call on the city to take action now.
— The North Kitsap Herald editorial board consists of Terry Ward, publisher; Donna Etchey, general manager; and Richard Walker, managing editor.
