Throughout April and May, over 27 miles of Neighborhood Greenways were upgraded to Stay Healthy Streets and opened to people walking, rolling, and biking. One of the Stay Healthy Streets is 1st Ave. NW, which runs adjacent to St. John Parish and School.
The City of Seattle is gathering input on making these Stay Healthy Streets permanent. As physical distancing becomes the new normal, Stay Healthy Streets are an important tool for Seattleites to get outside for some exercise. However, the impact of making 1st Ave. NW a permanent Stay Healthy Street, especially when in-person school resumes at both St. John and Greenwood Elementary, has to be considered. The two blocks of 1st Ave. NW, between 79th and 81st streets, are heavily utilized by cars and school buses. School administrators from both St. John and Greenwood Elementary met with Senior Transportation Planners from the City to voice our concerns. You are also encouraged to share comments by email to the Stay Healthy Streets program at StayHealthyStreets@Seattle.gov or go to the Stay Healthy Streets page to take the online survey. The deadline to complete the survey is July 22.
In the meantime, continue to walk, run and ride your bike. Hopefully our new stay healthy habits will stay with us, and we will all walk to school and reduce our carbon footprints!
