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Residents press Lake Forest Park for traffic calming on 40th Avenue Northeast
Summary
Multiple residents told the council that 40th Avenue NE lacks sidewalks, has blind corners and rounded intersections that encourage speeding; they urged near-term calming before a nearby roundabout project increases cut-through traffic.
Several Lake Forest Park residents used public comment at the Feb. 12 council meeting to press for traffic-calming measures on 40th Avenue Northeast, citing a long history of requests and near-miss incidents involving families and children.
Sally Yomasaki said residents have petitioned the city for 17 years and requested that the council revisit studies and implement measures proven in other countries, such as narrowed lanes and chicanes. Emily Hallowell described specific street hazards: "There are no sidewalks," she said, "multiple blind corners, and rounded intersections where cars don't have to slow down" and added that three families with special-needs children live near her corner. Hallowell warned that traffic may increase while a nearby roundabout project is under construction and urged action now.
Liz Hawkins and Dana Campbell echoed those concerns and asked the city to prioritize a marked crosswalk at 40th and 178th and to explore short-term calming tactics while planning longer-term engineering changes. Jeff Jensen and other residents voiced support for community-led initiatives and requested the council coordinate with staff to move projects forward.
Councilmembers acknowledged the longstanding nature of the complaints, said the parks and public works boards are discussing walking-route planning, and noted preliminary work on a multimodal improvement plan. Councilmembers and the newly introduced public works director (confirmed later in the meeting) signaled interest in evaluating quick-build options and seeking grant funding for permanent improvements.
The council accepted residents’ written materials and said staff would review the handout and consider next steps, including incorporating traffic-calming priorities into upcoming public-works planning and community outreach.
