The city of Issaquah will implement a few changes to enhance pedestrian safety on the section of NE Park Drive that circles Village Green Park in the Manchester Court neighborhood of Issaquah Highlands.
In late 2018, we conducted a live field test to study how emergency and maintenance vehicles can navigate that area, as well as how pedestrians use the area. While the turning movements for emergency and maintenance vehicles can be very tight, they can be accomplished as long as those who park on the inside of the circle are parked correctly.
Concerning pedestrian use, the city found a few areas that require improvements to comply with state regulations, as well as line-of-sight concerns between pedestrians and vehicles.
Village Green Park is a high-pedestrian use area. To enhance pedestrian safety and motorist visibility of pedestrians at the crosswalks, eight parking spaces will be eliminated in the Village Green Park area (see map below):
- One at each of the four park entrances.
- The loading/drop-off space in front of Blakely Hall.
- Three spaces at the top of Village Green Park that block access to Jared Court if a vehicle is parked in the currently marked spots.
The IHCA will also make landscape improvements in the Village Green Park crosswalk areas to improve the visibility of and for pedestrians.
In an effort to further slow vehicles entering the Manchester Court neighborhood, additional stop signs will be placed for vehicles entering the east and west ends of the Village Green Park area. Stop signs will assist in lowering traffic speeds and bring more awareness to the heavily-used pedestrian area.
These measures do not address larger delivery trucks. The city is working through the best solution with contractors and its Public Works Engineering group. More to come!
