Residents press council on Logan 6 development and pedestrian safety; council asks staff to study signal timing

Several Renton residents urged the City Council to reconsider a proposed development near Logan Avenue and to pursue pedestrian-safety measures citywide, including signal-timing changes known as leading pedestrian intervals.

Cheryl Frieze, a Renton resident, criticized the location of a proposed Logan 6 development, saying it sits adjacent to an elementary school bus stop and a corner she described as dangerous. "How could you have approved this development here and not found a better location in North Renton?" Frieze asked the council, citing repeated incidents including vehicles mounting curbs and a recent crash she said damaged landscaping adjacent to the site.

Downtown Renton resident Tristan Koshin described a traffic-signal timing approach called a leading pedestrian interval — which gives pedestrians a 3-to-7-second head start before vehicles receive a green signal — and recommended the city study the measure for intersections with high pedestrian-vehicle conflicts. "If you design a street to be comfortable to go fast, people are inclined to do that," Koshin said. "A 5-second lead for pedestrians ... you could have everyone that's waiting to cross out of the intersection by the time cars even start to turn left."

Council Member McGurwin, speaking as chair of the Transportation Committee, acknowledged the suggestion and said the committee will consider pedestrian safety as a future topic and directed staff to evaluate signal timing changes, including the leading pedestrian interval approach, at high-conflict intersections such as downtown and near the Landing.

The transcript records no formal vote on Logan 6 or on immediate signal changes; the outcome documented was a council direction to staff to bring the pedestrian-safety matter to committee for further consideration.