Community group urging city to make safety improvements on 8th Ave NW

A group of Ballard residents are asking the city to make safety improvements on 8th Ave NW.

The Ballard-Fremont Greenways (BFG) group is gathering signatures in an online petition to urge the city to consider a pedestrian safety project for 8th Ave NW.

BFG says the 8th Avenue Safety Project began as a “Reconnecting Ballard” campaign to draw awareness to the dangerous pedestrian crossing in Whittier Heights at NW 70th St and 8th Ave NW. That campaign has evolved into advocating for updates all along 8th Ave NW.

“This corridor has reached a breaking point and has been de-prioritized for far too long,” BFG wrote on their website. They say they’re going door-to-door to rally support from all neighbors who live off of 8th Ave NW to demand that SDOT make changes.

Some of the safety concerns BFG has highlighted include speeding cars—some at speeds of up to 70 MPH—inattentive drivers, illegal passing, dangerous left-hand turns, and cars blocking bike lanes, specifically around the Ballard Goodwill at 8th and NW 65th St.

BFG says the next step is for SDOT and the Seattle City Council to include 8th Ave NW enhancements as a priority project for the next installment of the city’s transportation levy.

Photo: A car is rear-ended while waiting for a pedestrian to cross 8th Ave NW (Still image from video)