The facts on NE 125th Street speeds and collisions

There's a lot of noise out there on the 125th Street safety project, and I thought readers might like to check out the facts before forming opinions. The proposed rechannelization of NE 125th Street between Roosevelt Way NE and 35th Avenue NE has generated a lot of interest with the public and press.  Here are some important facts that demonstrate why this corridor needs changes to lower speeds and enhance safety.

• Eighty nine percent of eastbound vehicles and seventy four percent of westbound vehicles drive faster than the posted speed limit of 30 m.p.h.
• The speed at which motorists are comfortable traveling (the 85th percentile speed) is 10 to 12 m.p.h. over the posted speed limit.
• From January 2007 to April 2010 153 collisions have occurred along this roadway.
• In that same period of time, 13 collisions involving pedestrians and three involving cyclists have occurred.
• For all collisions, 51 percent resulted in injuries versus the citywide average of 33 percent for collisions on similar minor arterial streets.

Approximately 16,200 daily trips are made on this roadway.  As demonstrated by Stone Way N and Fauntleroy Way SW, a three lane rechannelization can easily accommodate up to 25,000 average daily trips in a way that lowers speeds and maintains capacity.  Plus, the cost of making these proposed lane changes is roughly $50,000 to $60,000, which is an inexpensive way of providing 24-hour a day safety enhancements. Source: SDOT blog