Every couple days, someone driving in a car on 35th Ave SW runs into another car, someone walking or someone biking. Since 2011, 128 people were injured in 294 collisions. Two people were killed.

One of those people was James St. Clair, whose death while walking across the street prompted community action to remember his life and to demand changes to prevent this from happening to anyone else.

Speeding is so rampant on the wide, highway-style four-lane street that locals commonly refer to it as I-35. But it’s not a highway, it’s a street through a neighborhood that provides a rare complete connection from the north end of the neighborhood to the city’s south border with White Center and beyond. Between Avalon and Roxbury, the street passes near two libraries, two parks and three schools. It is a barrier to people trying to cross from east to west or trying to get to and from King County Metro’s 21 bus.

People should be able to cross the street in safety and comfort, and nobody in a car should be put at risk by rampant speeding and the kinds of high-risk collisions the current street design makes all too easy.

You have two opportunities coming up to give the city feedback on what you think should happen on 35th. If you can’t make the meetings, email your thoughts to [email protected]. (more…)