To use our time more efficiently, Central Seattle Streets for All creates work groups for many of our projects. Our members can get involved with projects they’re most passionate about even if they can’t or don’t attend the CSSA monthly meetings. These work groups are driven by what we have the most energy to work towards resolving but are not an exhaustive list of our priorities in our neighborhood.
If there is an issue you care deeply about that is not listed below, please feel free to bring it up during a monthly meeting or to the email list and we will see if there is enough interest to spin up a new work group for it.
Email info@centralseattlestreetsforall.org to join a work group.
Primary Work Groups
Meets remotely on the first Monday of every month from 6 PM – 7 PM
One of CSSA priorities is to improve the 10th Ave E corridor to provide a safer, saner way to bike from North Capitol Hill to the U District. We loosely defined the corridor as the area between Broadway (where Broadway becomes 10th) and the University bridge, including Federal Ave E and other relevant streets.
Because the corridor is lengthy and there are multiple capital projects happening on or near it, the work group has provided input on the configuration of Eastlake bike lanes, the future Roanoke Lid, and the planned long-term detour while the 520 overpass is rebuilt. One early win was the reinstatement of the Harvard tunnel, which WSDOT had planned to remove from the plans. The group is also involved in data collection, discussions about the potential to make Federal Ave greenway, and business outreach.
Meets on the third Wednesday of every month from 6 PM – 7 PM. Hybrid meetings.
Improving safety and comfort for people biking on 12th Ave from the Jose Rizal Bridge to Aloha has been a priority for CSSA the past couple of years. 12th Ave bike lanes from Madison to the Jose Rizal bridge are included in SDOT’s draft work plan.
Meets remotely on the second Thursday of every month from 6 PM – 7 PM
Route 8 is an important transit route for our neighborhood and the city, but it’s consistently late and unreliable, due in large part to vehicle traffic blocking the lane on Denny while drivers wait to access I-5. CSSA joined forces with the Transit Riders Union to form Fix the L8 campaign, which is pushing to implement two-way bus lanes on Denny Way.
Regular meetings not yet established
One of our 2025 priorities is to explore and advance pedestrianization initiatives in our neighborhoods. Possibilities include pedestrianizing Barbara Bailey Way and Melrose between Pike and Pine, reviving the ongoing conversation about doing something innovative in the Pike/Pine corridor on Capitol Hill, and exploring opportunities for pollution-free corridors/neighborhoods. There are similar efforts happening in other areas of the city, so we’ll collaborate with other groups where we can.
Ad-hoc work groups
Multiple collisions have resulted in serious injuries to people walking and biking at the intersection of Rainier Ave S and S Charles Street in the past two years. While we don’t know all the reasons that this particular intersection is so hazardous (when most of Rainier is hostile to people walking and biking), we know there are several issues here: nearly constant construction, extremely narrow sidewalk on the west side of the street, drivers running red lights, six lanes of traffic, proximity to the I-90 on and off-ramps, and more. We don’t have the answer, but we know it’s the City’s responsibility to provide a safer street.
This group focuses on drawing attention to the hazards on Rainier and the lack of a city response. Its initial action was a memorial to the next victim on Rainier, since we know more victims are inevitable unless the street is radically changed. A press conference started with a funeral procession, with advocates carrying a coffin filled with flowers and holding white shovels. The shovels symbolize the potential for either groundbreaking ceremonies of significant street improvement projects or grave-digging.
There was some press coverage, but no strong city action, so the group is considering other ways to keep the pressure on.
The intersection at Madrona and Lake Washington Blvd is a three-way stop, with a bus layover spot for Route 2. There are several issues with this unusually wide, oddly angled intersection – poor visibility at crosswalks, drivers running stop signs, speeding, and even racing and donuts.
CSSA and immediate neighbors met with SDOT, and there is a plan for temporary improvements to be implemented in 2025/2026, with a permanent design that we can use to lobby CM Hollingsworth to use her discretionary budget.
At this point, we are waiting for the temporary installation and permanent design, but when we have that, we’ll need help to secure the funding.
Although SDOT recently finished their Pike / Pine Center City Bike Network, we have a lot of concerns about some specific parts of the current configuration. We have sent SDOT a detailed document entailing all of our concerns and potential solutions and SDOT responded positively to the feedback. We hope to meet with them in early 2026 to learn more.