I’m looking for signs that the new 2025-27 Lakewood City Council and new city administration are interested in what the public thinks. I’m rather cheered by a discussion that took place at the second council meeting. Here’s a surprise twist: Not everyone in city government is in favor of putting roundabouts wherever there is traffic.
Walter’s roundabouts story
OK, full disclosure about roundabouts and me. Roundabouts first showed up in our area 30 years ago when UP was planning for the traffic around the new golf course along Grandview Drive. Many locals scoffed and said roundabouts belonged in Europe. The city pointed to an expensive traffic study that said roundabouts were a great idea.
I responded in one of my Neary-Sighted columns by writing why I didn’t think roundabouts were a good idea. To give myself credibility, I charged the city of University Place $85,000 for my study.
Unfortunately, the city never paid up. Clearly, what I should have done instead was go to the state Legislature for the money. But that’s another story.
The roundabouts on Grandview spread, like pimples, throughout the land. So that it’s a bit of a joke now on Facebook that if you see someone digging for something in Lakewood, it’s because there will be a roundabout.
I guess I should admit that there are places where roundabouts work just fine; maybe I was a wee bit wrong in my ancient assessment – but again, that’s another story.
Quirky and murky Mount Tacoma Drive
But let’s get to why the council meeting of Jan. 12 was a good start. The subject was a weird little piece of road that everyone in Lakewood knows, but everyone outside of Lakewood may not. It’s an approach to the little bridge that crosses Lake Steilacoom. You drive by Little Church on the Prairie on Mount Tacoma Drive toward the lake. And then there’s a bend that’s literally 90 degrees and narrow. It leads you to the neighborhood around Lake Steilacoom, where Mount Tacoma Drive allows approximately four inches of path for pedestrians. Drivers have to watch each other so you don’t head-on at a curve.
That winding road toward the lake is a quirky, fun little piece of Lakewood that no one in their right mind would ever build again.
One of the last stories I wrote for The Lakewood Journal was about a beginning driver who took that curve too quickly. The sedan she was driving went off the road and drove onto one of the cables that secure the power pole that is also helpfully just right there.
It was the oddest sight. The car, for some reason, did not tear the cable. The car had climbed the cable and rested on its rear tires pointing at the power pole at a 45 degree angle. It looked like the right tires had driven up the cable which then slid under the car to support its weight. The driver looked physically unhurt, fortunately, though the sight was tribute to what a weird curve that is.
The search for feedback
There is apparently funding for improvements to Mount Tacoma Drive, which like all other roads in Lakewood is busier than it used to be.
Now – speaking in general terms, last year, the city staff would have done whatever they wanted. The 2023-25 City Council, in its role as an extension of city employees, would have been OK with that.
It cheers me that there was actually a detailed study session Jan. 12 of the council about this prominent bit of road.
This is one of those things where you’re going to want me to summarize what was said, but I’m going to want you to watch a video. You should learn a lot by listening to deliberations. If you drive this road and especially if you live in the area, you want to watch the full video. Or I’m assuming the city will make a presentation when the Downtown Neighborhood Association meets Feb. 18 (more on that meeting another day).
There was discussion about that sharp curve, and also about the loss of vegetation with a new road and sidewalks. I did hear a callout to try to avoid taking down all the oaks to the south by moving the wider road toward the north; it’s great to hear the city considering such impacts.
There was also discussion about how wider roads would affect adjacent homes, which is why I sure hope someone in that neighborhood is paying attention to City Council agendas.
Something a bit odd about the meeting was discussion of a roundabout for the intersection with Meadow Road. City staff recommended against it. That part of the discussion starts here.
There’s more discussion about the roundabout starting at about 48 minutes in.
Ultimately, Councilmembers Mike Brandstetter and Ryan Pearson said they favored the roundabout – while more expensive, it made more sense than a four-way stop at that busy intersection. Mayor Paul Bocchi called the roundabout ‘clearly the best solution.’
New Councilmember Ellen Talbo expressed concern about the cost of acquiring right of way for a big roundabout, and wanted to know if anyone has talked to people who live on the road yet. It was a good question. I guess you start with the council because know best.
If you’ve ever crossed Meadow at that busy road, you know that there has to be a better way. Councilmember Philip Lindholm referred to people gunning their motors to get across, and he’s right. I’m not sure the answer is a roundabout.
Citizens did get involved!
But what’s important here, friends, is that anyone who lives nearby or drive the road had the chance to see this on the agenda.
If you have feedback, you can speak to or email the council as a group or as individuals. That’s how representative government is supposed to work.
The main reason I wanted to write this column is to share the project, because people should know about it.
But I also think it’s a good sign that citizens – in this case, the council – had a chance to weigh in on the design. In this case, it was the citizens – members of the council – not the city staff who pushed the roundabout.
Ideally, there should have been feedback from:
– Direct neighbors
- – Citizens on the Planning Commission, which is the citizens’ transportation advisory board
- – The Downtown Neighborhood Association
But hey – baby steps are progress. And there’s still time for that feedback. The council did not make a final decision on the design, with Bocchi calling for discussion with the property owners.
More to come!
Comments
13 responses
I personally find roundabouts annoying…
Thanks for the heads up. That intersection is, for whatever reason, a call to run the stop sign. I’m glad they put up the blinking stop sign for those with limited knowledge of what to do when seeing a simple red STOP sign. I’m not sure a roundabout in such a restricted area is the answer either. Has the blinking stop sign helped? Meadow Road leading south to the intersection is bad enough for pedestrians without speed demons. There are areas where line of sight is minimal due to hills.
Too many round-a-bouts on a street are NOT good thing. Like many from whom I have heard, my husband and I no longer drive on Washington Boulevard due to the multiple round-a-bouts which have to be negotiated. We have changed our route to avoid the hassle. Thank you, Walter, for alerting locals to current deliberations for a proposed round-about in a different neighborhood so they can voice their opinion regarding pro’s and con’s.
Washington is certainly is no longer an “arterial”. This “solution” just pushes more traffic onto Steilacoom Blvd. which is already too fast and too busy. It seems that the cross traffic on Washington, most of the time, doesn’t merit a roundabout at every intersection.
That being said, drivers seem to struggle with a two-way and four-way Stop. Unfortunately it is common to see drivers drive right through Stop Signs now.
There are far too many roundabouts on Washington Blvd, you can hardly get up to speed in between them (and I wonder about wear and tear on our cars), but I do agree that Mt Tahoma needs at least one at Meadow Road.
Roundabouts make the most sense when there is heavy traffic from multiple directions and the only realistic alternative is a traffic light; in those cases roundabouts move traffic more efficiently. They do not make sense when the best alternative is a stop sign, either 2 way or 4 way. On Washington Blvd and Gravelly Lake Drive roundabouts made perfect sense at the intersections that previously had traffic lights, but I agree they went overboard putting those in at every intersection along Washington. I too now avoid that road. As for the Meadows intersection with Mt Tacoma, a 4 way stop makes the most sense as there is not heavy traffic on Meadows and speeding is an issue on that section of Mt Tacoma.
I wonder why we’re not considering more speed bumps, especially along Mt. Tahoma. They do a great job slowing people down in the Towne Center, they slow people down on Interlaken (the windy part). They don’t require bleeding on to people’s property and cost less than a roundabout. I’d love to see some on Gravelly Lake Dr in route to Washington Blvd if I’m honest, would take a lot of fun out of that street for the Dodge Chargers of the world.
I’m glad to see the council mention the Garry Oaks. The oaks are a part of Lakewood’s heritage and are a crucial part of the ecosystem. Nature decreases stress, more trees, less stess, win-win. From a beauty standpoint, it’s hard to beat Lakewood when our oaks are showing off in the spring, summer, and fall. Save the Oaks.
I wonder why we’re not considering more speed bumps, especially along Mt. Tahoma. They do a great job slowing people down in the Towne Center, they slow people down on Interlaken (the windy part). They don’t require bleeding on to people’s property and cost less than a roundabout. I’d love to see some on Gravelly Lake Dr in route to Washington Blvd if I’m honest, would take a lot of fun out of that street for the Dodge Chargers of the world.
I’m glad to see the council mention the Garry Oaks. The oaks are a part of Lakewood’s heritage and are a crucial part of the ecosystem. Nature decreases stress, more trees, less stess, win-win. From a beauty standpoint, it’s hard to beat Lakewood when our oaks are showing off in the spring, summer, and fall. Save the Oaks.
I agree that veterans drive in Washington boulevard have to far too many roundabouts. The biggest problem, though, is it the city of Lakewood apparently does not know how to install them so that they don’t cause people to drive into them.
University Place got it right along chambers Bay, where the roundabouts are large and clearly denoted by brickwork or other features that make it clear that there is a roundabout there. In Lakewood, however, there are no bots dots coma there is no brick work, there are no white lines, or anything else to help you notice that the roundabout is there when conditions are foggy. It is very easy to just simply plow into them at a relatively high rate of speed, and I know that people have.
Interesting article. I wasn’t sure where you were going with it, but you finally got a’round to it. 😉
Yes, Washington Blvd is a Joke! Veterans Dr has become my choice when manipulating that part of Lakewood. However, have you ever been on Veterans Dr, during The VA change of shifts and watched an emergency vehicle try to navigate Veterans Dr? With the new “improvements” (curbs namely) there’s no way people can make way for the ambulance, fire truck or police car. It’s a liability that should be placed squarely on The City of Lakewood.
This is the same dilemma that would occur if those “improvements” were made to that stretch of Interlaaken between Mt Tacoma Dr and the Steilacoom Lk bridge.
It’s true that round a bouts do keep traffic flowing provided the ‘participants’ know how to navigate through one. On the other hand a break in traffic is desirable and necessary in some situations. Pedestrian crossing is one. There are not a lot of people, at rush hour, even though it’s the law, will stop or even slow down for someone to cross the street. Another situation I’ve found most frustrating is trying to exit a driveway during rush hour that is located close to a busy roundabout. It’s nearly impossible. Your only hope is a compassionate driver in the flow of traffic that’s paying attention. Many times wanting to go left from the driveway I’ve had to turn right, the opposite direction of my intent and turn around the first chance I get.
These are definite problems that appear were overlooked at the conception of these ‘improvements’.
Is another roundabout the solution? To what expense?
Are impassable curbs on a two lane road a smart idea? Or would ‘relaxed’ curbs that could be crossed in the case of an emergency just common sense?
What’s that?
If they widen the road it narrows at the bridge. So then what? Spend more widening the bridge? They should remove the bridge across Lake Stielacoom. Then traffic would be greatly reduced. There wouldn’t be a need to widen the road. There wouldn’t be a need for a roundabout or a four way stop. Traffic would be restricted to those homes on Mt Tahoma Dr. There would be zero bridge maintenabce and repairs. And the lake would be safer for boaters as well as more scenic. The bridge is an eyesore.
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