Residents speak out against Dorffel traffic study

Jacobson wasn’t aware of the traffic study until he encountered the rerouting signs while driving through the neighborhood. He estimates he uses Dorffel Drive between six and eight times per day as his main route to get in and out of the neighborhood.

Following complaints about too much traffic on Dorffel Drive, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) agreed to a six-week study, which barricaded the eastern pair of lanes at the intersection of Lake Washington Boulevard East and 37th Avenue East. The study would track the amount of traffic and see if it cut down on cut-through traffic, making it safer for pedestrians and residents. The study ends Monday, Oct. 6.

Jacobson didn’t feel like there was that much traffic to begin with, although there is the understandable uptick as parents drive their kids to the nearby Bush and Epiphany schools. With the revision, he hasn’t seen any change in the amount or speed of traffic on the road but does feel it has increased confusion at the Lake Washington Boulevard intersection.

“People in the neighborhood find it very confusing and dangerous even,” he said.

Jacobson doesn’t feel like the reasoning behind the study — speed, traffic volume or safety — has been explained to the neighborhood. For neighbors in his area, Dorffel Drive is the only way in and out of the area to the north and links them to Madison Street and the state Route 520 bridge, he said.

The current project doesn’t have signage to explain the study because SDOT only implements signage when a major change is happening. Since this is a temporary experiment, there was less notification. Bob Edmiston did advertise the test in local news outlets, websites and social media.

Edmiston, organizer of the Madison Park Greenways and member of the Madison Park Community Council, has taken on the project, at the request of some Dorffel Drive neighbors.

Even if the traffic revision’s structure becomes permanent, Jacobson feels he and his neighbors will continue to use Dorffel as it’s their only choice. Dorffel is a “de facto” arterial for that part of the neighborhood, he said; other nearby arterials are steep and poorly maintained and become unsafe during inclement weather.

Petition starting

To express his concern, Jacobson started a petition. He walked around the neighborhood and gathered nearly 20 signatures, as of Sept. 18. He has many other promised signatures that he needs to collect, with a goal of at least 25 signatures total.

The purpose of the petition is to “tell the city that the particular change they implemented...is hurtful to the people in this part of the neighborhood and will not likely change traffic, at least from here,” he said. “It’s not fair when 100-plus houses in this part of the neighborhood suffer adversely from the closure.”

Edmiston has heard responses from a few groups; he expected this feedback, he said.

He has received positive feedback from the people who live on the street, but those who use Dorffel as a cut-through are very upset about the intersection change, he said.

Depending on what neighbors are hoping to address, Jacobson thinks there could be a few solutions, like changes in parking policy or stop signs, though he doubts that speed is an issue because the road is already “something of an obstacle course,” which naturally reduces speed.

The petition is “our fight,” Jacobson said. “[It is] our demonstration that we don’t think this is a permanent solution.”

The current configuration has its problems, Edmiston said: People are having a difficult time figuring out how to navigate the island at the intersection.

“I’m probably the person who dislikes what I’m seeing the most,” Edmiston said. “[The] current configuration has unforeseen problems that need to be designed out.” 

Getting feedback

Edmiston and SDOT will collect feedback via an online form until a week after the revision ends; this is the best way for people to send their feedback, Edmiston said. Both have access to the raw data.

The study will also update the 10-year-old information about the street’s use, Edmiston said.

Edmiston is working with administrators at both Bush and Epiphany schools to get feedback from them and their parents who commute through the neighborhood.

Jacobson would like the city and neighborhood groups to work with those affected to find a compromise.

“Our intent is not to just be hostile and to prevent the Dorffel homeowners from getting what they want,” Jacobson said. “It’s just that this particular measure is not well thought-out.”

There’s no such thing as a bad result from the study, Edmiston said, because they can learn, even from the negative feedback.

“I hope that the feedback ensures that this solution is not permanent,” Edmiston said, noting the more he sees the traffic there, the more obvious it is that this isn’t a good solution. He hopes people engage to help with a complete redesign of the intersection so that it works for everyone.

To comment on the Dorffel Drive traffic revision study, visit http://madisonvalley.org/news/actionfeedback-dorffel-drive-intersection-reconfiguration-study.html#disqus_thread.

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