Sign ups for the Montlake Community Club’s first ever Montlake 5K Turkey Trot and Kids Run have far exceeded our expectations. To avoid hassle on the day of the race, we highly recommend that you register online by noon this Wednesday. We cannot guarantee race t-shirts to same-day registrants and cash only will be accepted.

Local businesses have unveiled Race Day Details:

• Visit Fuel, Mr Johnson’s Antiques & Pub Montlake to drop-off food donations for the University District Food Bank (locations listed here).
• Stop-by Glam & Tonics AVEDA Salon for 20% off products – start your holiday shopping early
• Pub Montlake will be open starting at 8 am and is serving a new brunch menu. Even if you’re not running, come out, cheer people on, and join in on the fun.
• And at 8:45 am, a raffle of gift cards and bags from local businesses, will be held for those who registered by November 15th.

Visit the Turkey Trot Web page for complete info.

Register for the Montlake 5K Turkey Trot & Kids run by this Tuesday, November 15, before prices go up. Pub Montlake is giving away free kids dinner gift cards to all kids who participate. Register by the 15th and you will be eligible to win goodies from local businesses. The race is organized by the Montlake Community Club.

Same day registration is accepted but will be cash only, and a race t-shirt is not guaranteed.

Net proceeds benefit the University District Food Back. Get the full scoop on our Turkey Trot page or go straight to registration on RaceWire.

Don’t want to race but want to get in on the fun? Join our growing cadre of race volunteers. Email turkeytrot@montlake.net to sign up to volunteer. All volunteers get a free race t-shirt.

Register for the Montlake 5K Turkey Trot and Kids Run by November 15 for your chance to win free goodies from local businesses. Some lucky people who sign up by then will win hair products from Coven Salon and gift certificates from the Montlake Boulevard Market and Montlake Bicycle Shop. Pub Montlake is also giving away gift certificates for a free kids dinner to all kids who participate! So join a hundred of your neighbors (and counting) to join this Thanksgiving morning event. Visit the Turkey Trot page for complete info or head straight to the RaceWire registration page.

Proceeds will be donated to the University District Food Bank. To learn more about the food bank and the people it helps, take a moment to watch this video.

The recent article on the progress of the Montlake Business District Development project has generated several comments about the proposal to reduce traffic lanes from four to three on 24^th Avenue E (the “road diet”).  The general concern is that this change could result in worsening the traffic back-ups on 24^th Avenue E and increase more cut throughs on our residential streets.  Certainly none of us want this to happen, and a “road diet” would not occur until SDOT studies its possible effects on cut-through traffic.

According to the Walkable and Livability Institute: “Drivers tend to use primary roads that provide the most direct and efficient route to a destination.  Well- designed road diets do not divert drivers onto other roads.  While traffic often drops during construction, it typically returns to normal or increases within six months of completion. “

Since the 1970’s The Seattle Department of Transportation has completed 40 neighborhood projects that included right sizing or road diets. (Download this PDF to see a List of Projects.) They have found that these “rechannelizations” (or road diets) actually reduce speeds and collisions.  They are especially beneficial and safer for pedestrians since they have fewer lanes to cross.  It is critically important to ensure we all, especially children, have a safe way to schools, park facilities, transit and shopping. The City has found that significant amounts of diversions do not occur.  If it does happen, they can use traffic calming devices like speed bumps, traffic circles or diverters to discourage cut-through traffic.

The reality is that we are an urban neighborhood and traffic will not go away. The entire city is now that way.  To reduce congestion the city would need to add capacity with roadway widening and more traffic lanes which it will not do and would not work if we want to have livable residential areas in the city.   The city’s policy is shared use streets, providing multi-modal transit and bicycling facilities and making streets safer and more comfortable for pedestrians by reducing speeds and narrowing intersections where they can.   The overall result is that commuters have to adapt, use bus or bike instead of cars and understand the commute drive will take more time.

That said, if we want a safe and viable business district that serves and is connected to the Montlake community, we need to find ways to reduce speeding on the 24^th arterial which is dangerous to pedestrians, and we need to find ways to support and enhance our business district.  Adopting the “road diet” promises to do both if the results of SDOT’s traffic study show Montlake is eligible for this change.    

As a longtime resident (living at the corner of 25 Avenue E. and E. Miller Street for 40+ years) I know the frustration of traffic and understand the fear that slowing down traffic in one area can have the unintended consequences of drivers “discovering more convenient routes.”  The solution is to develop a traffic calming plan for the residential streets. Representatives from the Montlake Community Club continue to meet with SDOT to discuss this matter.  Our goal is to develop a neighborhood wide plan that will eliminate cut through traffic.  We will be reaching out to the community to identify the best ways to achieve this goal on a street to street basis.

Living in Montlake should not mean sacrificing the opportunity to develop our business district for fear of increased traffic.  We, as a community, are organized and working to find solutions.  We want any changes made to re-energize the Montlake business district to work for the entire community.

Click the Above Image for a list of other Seattle Right-Sizing and Road Diet Projects