Tolerant

"SDOT plans changes to improve safety on Broadway — including an ‘all way walk’ a block south at Denny"   where it's not needed.

Moving the all-walk a block out of the way so not to inconvenience cars is a massive slap down for pedestrians.

Sadly, it reinforces the old joke about SDOT:   Find what is the absolute minimum they can do for pedestrians, bikes and transit, and then open a discussion of how they can do less.  It could be their motto.

This is not a win in any way for pedestrians and we've got to stop trying to "keep positive" by calling things "wins" and "Pedestrian Friendly" that are, at best, Pedestrian Tolerant (see: Columbia City).

The Pedestrian Friendly solution to this situation, one that would be automatically put in place without discussion in parts of Europe (I mention that just to make clear that it's not some bizarre imaginary dream), is a SPEED TABLE with ALTERNATING cycles and RESTRICTED turns.   

That's wonk speak for:

• Raising the level of the entire intersection to the level of the sidewalk.
• Setting the light cycle: all-walk, north-south cars, all-walk, east-west cars, all-walk.
• Restricting cars turning right to only on their light cycle.

The speed table causes cars to speed-bump up on to it and makes it clear to motorists, and everyone else, that it is people space - pedestrian space, rather than forcing the sad pedestrians to scamper through car space.  It slows down cars, speeds up walking and completely changes the dynamic of the intersection.

The LONG WAIT that so terrified the SDOT person is another thing which is put in place solely to make it more convenient for motorists.  It's not required.  Do it a civilized way and make two All-Walks per cycle in between each direction of car traffic. 

We can do less.  Frankly, i think the speed table is clearly the right solution in this case.  But if we're going to talk about what is pedestrian friendly and work backwards to the minimum we can do, this is where we should start, and not at, 'What is most convenient for cars without actually killing pedestrians?' as the SDOT person appallingly suggested.

This is not laws of nature here;  these are decisions we can make.  But if we choose not to, we need to be honest that we are simply choosing motorist convenience over pedestrian convenience.  Is that social engineering?  Does that encourage one behavior over the other?

Moving the all-walk a block away, giving pedestrians TWO EXTRA blocks to walk to use it, just to avoid the POSSIBILITY of inconveniencing motorists for 40 seconds, is also a decision... a legitimate decision.  But lets call it as what it is, which is extremely hostile to non-motorists trying to walk or use transit and very, very, very car friendly.