Sunset Avenue changes its stripes — again

The old proverb tells us that a tiger can’t change its stripes — but clearly Sunset Avenue is a different breed of cat.

City crews were out early Monday morning putting the latest plan on the ground: removing the angle parking spaces, grinding off the striping defining the stalls, and adding a new strip of parallel parking north of Edmonds Street.

It’s been less than three years since the first in the current series of parking reconfigurations appeared on Sunset Avenue (see My Edmonds News coverage here), adding the walkway on the water side of the street and a strip of angle and parallel parking between the walkway and the traffic lane. This plan and subsequent fine-tuning were met with much public comment, some loving the changes, some loathing them.

If there was any consensus in all this, it was around the issue of angle parking. Residents of Sunset Avenue and users alike complained that the walkway and the angle parking together took up too much of the street, leaving a very narrow path for traffic and creating a hazardous situation for motorists pulling in and out of the angle parking spaces.

Since then, the angle parking has been reconfigured to allow better access for residents, the old dirt path has been replaced by landscaping, and parking time limits have been reduced from three hours to two. In 2016, the city did a survey in an attempt to get a comprehensive understanding of public opinion.

Between the survey and comments in other forums, including My Edmonds News, the public consensus was clear: Angle parking needed to go. Last August, the Edmonds City Council voted to remove the angle spaces.

Monday’s work eliminates the angle parking. According to City of Edmonds work crews on the scene, the paint will be dry and the area reopened before the end of the day Monday.

— Story and photos by Larry Vogel

  1. Thanks to the City Council for voting to remove angle parking. This was an idea that never
    should have ‘tested’ in the first place.

  2. Thank you city council members for directing the removal of the diagonal parking places. And thank you to the city crew who works so quickly and efficiently to accomplish that. It’s only been one day, but some changes are immediately obvious
    One. The appearance of the street is vastly improved. It’s much cleaner looking than before. This project was all about a walkway, but it morphed into an unsightly and untenable parking situation.
    Two. The new parking configuration is much safer and efficient. Not once have I heard a driver lean on the horn to warn drivers backing out of a blind space. Drivers move in and out of the parallel space quickly as opposed to people creeping backwards out of the diagonal space until they were able to see oncoming traffic.
    Three. The driving lane is now wide enough for a car to pass another when necessary. In the past when the garbage truck was collecting, or a box truck was delivering, or someone just stopped in the middle of the driving lane to take a picture of the sunset, cars would be completely blocked from going forward. But now they have a way to get past.
    Four. People seem to be using the walkway as it was intended. Small knots of people chatted as walkers and runners passed by. It was a pleasant sight.
    And finally. There still seems to be plenty of parking for those who have come to enjoy a warm evening. Last night, cars were parallel parked all the way from Edmonds to Caspers.

  3. There are fewer, Mr. Hardke. And the rest of that side will continue to attract illegal parkers on nice days, blocking driveways, etc.
    Also, Why the 2-hour limit here? The rest of town gets by just fine with the three-hour cut off.

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