WHEREAS the Montlake Community is located astride the intersection of the SR-520 and Montlake boulevard, commonly acknowledged to be one of the busiest intersections of the State of Washington;

WHEREAS the the Montlake community also contains the heavily trafficked arterial streets of Montlake Boulevard, Lake Washington Boulevard, 24th Avenue East, and Boyer Avenue East;

WHEREAS the the Montlake community is located adjacent to the University of Washington, a major regional employment center and commuter destination;

WHEREAS the the majority of traffic on SR-520 and arterial streets in Montlake originates at and is destined for locations outside the Montlake community;

WHEREAS the the residents of Montlake are greatly affected by traffic passing through the community, to the extent that many intersections in Montlake regularly fail to operate at acceptable levels of service;

WHEREAS the the noise levels at residences located near regional transportation facilities in Montlake greatly exceed the maximum levels of environmental noise with the Seattle/King County Public Health Department and Washington State law (WAC 173-60, "Maximum Environmental Noise Levels") have deemed acceptable for release to residential properties;

WHEREAS the employees and students commuting to the University of Washington often park in Montlake in sufficient numbers that there is inadequate parking remaining for the use of residents of the community;

WHEREAS the the Montlake community lies in the path of traffic to, from, and between the University District, south Lake Union, Broadway Capital Hill, and the central business districts of both Seattle and Bellevue, all of whose expansion and growth through increased density has recently been proposed;

WHEREAS the the residents of Montlake have historically been frustrated by the multiplicity of City, State, regional and University agencies when seeking means to lessen the impacts of traffic in their community;

AND WHEREAS the it is hoped that the enumeration by the Montlake community of a series of neighborhood goals related to transportation will aid public agencies and officials in developing and proposing only such transportation projects, improvements or operational changes in Montlake as may be acceptable to the community;

NOW THEREFORE, the Montlake Community Club, representing the residents of Montlake, establishes the following Montlake Transportation Policies.

1. No additional private property in Montlake shall be acquired by public agencies for the construction or expansion of transportation facilities, nor shall any public property currently dedicated to non-transportation uses be used for the expansion or construction of transportation facilities.

2. Ready access for residents of Montlake to their homes must be maintained at all times. The blockage of access to residential streets by traffic on arterial streets is unacceptable. 3. Residents and neighborhood businesses must be given preference over commuters in the use of the limited on-street parking available in Montlake.

4. Use of residential streets by through traffic must be discouraged to the maximum extent possible. Through traffic should be confined primarily to freeways or, where that is not possible, to arterial streets.

5. The unique historical character of the Montlake Bridge; the Washington park Arboretum; Lake Washington, Interlaken, and Montlake Boulevards and other elements of the "Olmstead Plan" shall not be further sacrificed in the interest of transportation efficiency or economy.

6. Regional transportation facilities located in Montlake must comply with the same environmental standards that are applicable to other commercial used located in primarily residential areas. The cumulative impact of the large number of vehicles passing through Montlake community is such that exemption of the transportation facilities that concentrate them there from residential noise, air quality or other environmental standards is clearly inappropriate and unacceptable.

7. The primary purpose of transportation systems and facilities should be to move people and materials -- not vehicles. Subject to their ability to comply with other policies enumerated herein, such systems and facilities should be operated so as to encourage the use of high-occupancy vehicles and transit.

BY ACTION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES; March 17, 1993
Larry Fogdall, President

ENDORSED BY THE MEMBERSHIP; April 14, 1993
Luke Hill, Secretary