Resident urges action after near-misses at Lakeside Park crosswalk

At the March 10 Chelan City Council meeting, resident Kyle Burn urged the council to prioritize pedestrian safety at the marked crosswalk at East Center Street and Westwood Avenue, describing multiple near-miss incidents involving motorists and a recent episode in which more than seven cars failed to stop for a family using the crosswalk.

Burn said his wife was pushing their 4-month-old in a stroller in a clearly marked crosswalk when a distracted driver nearly struck them. “No family should have to fear for their lives just crossing the street, near a park,” he said, calling the crossing “the most dangerous part of our outing.”

The comment prompted staff and council to note that the same intersection is the subject of an upcoming pedestrian design project. Public Works Director Jake Youngren told the council the city is advancing a design to extend sidewalks and enhance crosswalk treatments at East Center and Westwood, and that the project has encountered coordination issues with the state highway authority that required additional design work.

Youngren said the RH2 Engineering amendment approved by the council at the same meeting will finish design work for the East Center/Westwood improvements, with a target of a bid-ready design in April and construction in July. He described the design amendment as a step toward adding features that can reduce vehicle speeds and improve visibility of pedestrians.

Council members also discussed enforcement options. Burn suggested increased presence from the Chelan County Sheriff's Office, speed cameras, better signage, flashing beacons or pedestrian-activated signals.

What happens next: the council authorized an amendment to the RH2 Engineering design contract to complete plans for the East Center and Westwood pedestrian improvements; staff said they would follow up with implementation timing and include rapid-flashing beacons in the design where appropriate.