Traffic Safety Committee

Salmon Bay K-8’s Traffic Circulation Plan

To improve safety and foster community, the FOSB Traffic Safety Committee is working with Salmon Bay and SDOT to roll out a new circulation plan for drop-off and pick-up this spring.

Effective April 21, 2025:

  1. Drop/load by car east, with new suggested K-5 / 6-8 areas
  2. Park & Walk west, with new suggested parking zones
  3. New School Street on 19th alongside buses (NO thru traffic)
  4. No Parking on the west side of 18th, per “Load Only” signs

Salmon Bay K-8 Circulation Map, Spring 2025

Alt-text: Cartoon map of the neighborhood and streets surrounding Salmon Bay School. It includes 22nd to the west, 15th to the east, a bit past 70th to the north, and a bit past 65th to the south. Existing crosswalks, stop signs, flashing beacons, traffic circles, and traffic lights are all indicated, as are the school building, playground, field, Healthy Street (No Thru Traffic) on 17th, and nearby Salmon Bay Park/Playground. The accessible school entrance on 18th is labeled, as are the bike racks at the SE and NW corners of the school plus the one in the Panther Passage. The portion of 19th between 65th and 67th is marked No Car Access (Do Not Enter) and labeled both School Buses and School Street. Suggested K-5 and 6-8 drop/load route on the east side of the school is westbound from the light at 15th/70th, southbound on 18th, and then splits at 67th to suggest K-5 continue south to loading zones between 67th and 65th while 6-8 use loading zones north of 67th so drivers can exit eastbound on 67th. The primary suggested park and walk zones are along 19th (north of 67th), 20th, and 67th (between 22nd and 19th). The west side of 18th is labeled Load/Unload between 65th and 67th, with a small gap for the ADA access. The Load/Unload zone extends up north of 67th to where the field ends. Suggested walk routes from the east are indicated along the west side of 17th, both north and south of the school, each turning west to access the school on 67th and 65th. Suggested walk routes from the west are indicated along 19th and 20th as well as the south side of 67th. There are No U-turn symbols on all the streets near the school. The map has a legend explaining all of these elements. It is busy, but legible.

About the Circulation Map

School traffic circulation maps are visual representations that outline the planned flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic around a school campus during drop-off, pick-up, and other times when school-related traffic is high. These maps are designed to help parents, students, staff, and neighbors understand the most efficient and safe routes for entering, exiting, and navigating near the school premises.

These maps are distributed to families, staff, and neighbors to provide guidance on navigating the school area safely and efficiently during peak traffic times. They aim to minimize congestion, reduce the risk of crashes, and create a smoother traffic flow around the school.

Our circulation map also includes suggested Park & Walk locations. These are areas near the school where families who drive can park, or older students can be dropped off and walk the remainder of the distance to school. This reduces car traffic in front of the school and allows you to skip waiting in the drop-off line, while students start the day with healthy physical activity, arriving at school more ready to learn.

More Information

The FOSB Traffic Safety Committee formed in late 2024 to begin developing a new Circulation Plan and Map for Salmon Bay K-8. Each of the new elements 1-4 were chosen with safety, accessibility, and community building in mind, after extensive outreach to families, neighbors, staff, and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT).

Please consider how your family’s drop-off and pick-up routines can work with our school’s plan. Have you been meaning to try a new mode of transport? Is there a place you might want to meet another Salmon Bay family before or after school? Make a plan with your child so they know when and where to find you!

We are rolling the plan out after Spring Break, beginning April 21, 2025, and will collect feedback online through the rest of the school year: tinyurl.com/sbk8trafficfeedback 

Here is more information about each of the 4 elements in the Circulation Plan:

  1. Drop/load by car east, with new suggested K-5 / 6-8 areas

This element gives families who drive and plan to stay with the vehicle designated areas for dropping off and picking up their students.

We suggest all families using this mode access the neighborhood via the traffic light at 15th/70th. We suggest older students use the loading zones north of 67th so drivers may exit the area via the traffic light at 15th/67th, and we suggest younger students use the loading zones south of 67th to minimize street crossings.

  1. Park & Walk west, with new suggested parking zones

This element gives families who drive and plan to exit the vehicle suggested areas for parking and walking to school.

We encourage families who drive to choose Park & Walk whenever possible. Street parking is more abundant to the west since it is further from Ballard High, and accessing Salmon Bay on foot from the west will be safer than ever with the new School Street on 19th.

  1. New School Street on 19th alongside buses (NO thru traffic)

This SDOT program element enhances safety for families who walk (including Park & Walk), bike, and ride the school bus. It directly addresses one of our community’s top problem areas: the uncontrolled intersection and crosswalk at 19th/67th.

School Streets are open for people walking, rolling, and biking to school, and closed to pass through traffic, including caregivers dropping off their students. School Streets are also open to district-provided transportation (school buses) and residential access.

The goals of the SDOT School Street program are to encourage families to walk or bike to school and to provide a safer school environment. School Streets with temporary style barriers (not permanently installed in concrete) like ours are in effect from 7am–5pm on school days.

  1. No Parking on the west side of 18th, per “Load Only” signs

This element increases safety for families who walk, bike, and drop/load by car.

It addresses another of our community’s top problem areas: double parking on 18th and congestion at 18th/65th. We ask that drivers who need to stop their vehicle for more than 3 minutes, or exit their vehicle for any length of time, please find a different place to park. This includes the west side of 18th from 65th up past 67th to the northern end of the field.

Please help keep our students safe!

Follow these rules when you travel to and from school:

  • DO cross only at crosswalks and corners
  • DO find a legal parking space and walk with your child
  • DO stay with your car at all times in the drop-off/pick-up areas
  • DO NOT make U-turns near school
  • DO NOT park on 18th in the drop-off/pick-up areas
  • DO NOT drive on 19th in the School Street/School Bus area

Frequently Asked Questions

Throughout this webpage and FAQ, we refer to streets and avenues by name or number only for simplicity. For example, we write “18th” when we mean “18th Avenue NW,” and we write “67th” when we mean “NW 67th Street.” Similarly, we refer to intersections with the shorthand of “18th/65th” in lieu of “18th Avenue NW and NW 65th Street.”

  • Why are you changing things now?

Salmon Bay has a long history of challenges with traffic safety. In 2001, a student was struck by a car in a crosswalk at 18th/65th, prompting her father to take a job as a crossing guard. In 2013, that crossing guard was struck by a car in the same location. Circa 2016, flashing beacons were installed by SDOT to improve pedestrian safety at 18th/65th.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, traffic patterns changed, and our longtime crossing guard retired in 2022. In May 2023, a parent and neighbor wrote in the Salmon Bay Newsletter that she had witnessed 3 crashes along 67th on the west side of the school in 5 months. The FOSB Traffic Safety Committee is aware of at least 9 crashes involving a car near the school in the 2023-2024 school year, and at least 60 near-misses in the same time frame.

We hope you agree this state of affairs is unacceptable! Something needs to change before another member of our community is seriously injured or killed. We decided to form the FOSB Traffic Safety Committee and work to address the problem. Our new Traffic Circulation Plan is the first step toward improving safety and building community before and after school.

  • What can I expect starting April 21?

The new Circulation Plan takes effect April 21, right after Spring Break. To welcome you back, FOSB Traffic Safety Committee volunteers will be out before and after school in bright vests to help guide traffic and answer questions. We aim to have one person near three key intersections before and after school: 18th/65th, 18th/67th, and 19th/67th.

The rollout period will last for about one week unless there are additional volunteers, but all elements of the Circulation Plan will continue throughout the rest of the school year!

  • How does a School Street work, and why?

School Streets are an SDOT program, and there are over 15 citywide. School Streets are open for people walking, rolling, and biking to school, and closed to pass through traffic, including caregivers dropping off their students. The goals are to encourage families to walk or bike to school and to provide a safer school environment by reducing traffic congestion. School Streets are provided when requested by schools.

When the School Street is installed, you will see Type III “Street Closed” barricades at 19th/65th and 19th/67th with School Street signs. These are similar to the signs used for the Healthy Street on 17th before it was made permanent in 2023.

There is still plenty of room for school buses to access the bus zone and for neighbors to access their homes. Because our School Street uses temporary signage and is not permanently installed in concrete, this one block of 19th will be closed to pass through traffic from 7am–5pm on school days.

When possible, we encourage families to walk, roll, or bike with your child to school. If you must drive, try parking a block or two away and finishing the trip on foot, aka “Park & Walk.” School buses and other district transportation and students with mobility needs may access the School Street block by car, and people driving who need to get to homes and businesses on a School Street are also able to drive on these streets. For more information, please see seattle.gov/schoolstreets.

  • Why is the School Street on 19th and not one of the other streets near Salmon Bay?

We considered several options, and concluded that designating one block of 19th as a School Street would best meet our community’s safety needs while minimizing inconveniences to neighbors. 65th is classified as an arterial and cannot be designated a School Street. In Fall 2024, there was a brief School Street pilot on 18th between 65th and 67th. However, it was not part of a well-communicated circulation plan. Families who drive did not have a clear route to access the school, and unsafe driver behaviors (U-turns, backing up, illegal parking, etc.) increased. It was canceled after about one week.

Thankfully, 19th between 65th and 67th is a different story. This is already the district-designated School Bus Zone. The road itself is very rough and bumpy due to tree roots. Many families have raised safety concerns about the uncontrolled intersection and crosswalk at 19th/67th. We realized that if we designated this block of 19th (between 65th and 67th) a School Street, we could alleviate this problem — so departing vehicles have to go either north on 19th or west on 67th, leaving the crosswalk traffic-free — and also enhance safety for school bus riders. Nearby Whittier Elementary also has a School Street co-located with their School Bus Zone.

  • Where am I supposed to park? (Families and students)

Salmon Bay does not have a parking lot. If you drive and park, please use street parking to the west of the school. Per the Circulation Map, we suggest families who Park & Walk look for street parking on 67th between 22nd and 19th, on 19th north of 67th, on 20th between 65th and Sloop, or on other nearby streets that have legal parking spaces.

Many families who Park & Walk report that the area west of the school is an easier place to find street parking than the area east of the school. Parking to the west is further from 15th (a busy arterial) and Ballard High (where many students use neighborhood street parking). This is one reason we designate the east side of the school for drop/load, not parking.

In Seattle, parking is never allowed within 5 feet of a driveway, 15 feet of a fire hydrant, 20 feet of a crosswalk or intersection, or 30 feet of a stop or yield sign. Parking is also not allowed in loading zones, alleys, on sidewalks or planting strips, in tow-away zones, bus zones, or no-parking zones.

  • Where am I supposed to park? (Teachers and staff)

Salmon Bay does not have a parking lot, and we recognize teachers and staff need to park near the school. If you drive and park, we suggest you use legal street parking a few blocks away, or on the north side of 65th between 18th and 19th. The Park & Walk areas on the Circulation Map are also valid for staff!

If you have items to unload from your car, please do use the 18th loading zone, and then move your car to a legal street parking space. After 8:30am, 18th needs to be free of parked cars for families who drive to access the loading zone.

In Seattle, parking is never allowed within 5 feet of a driveway, 15 feet of a fire hydrant, 20 feet of a crosswalk or intersection, or 30 feet of a stop or yield sign. Parking is also not allowed in loading zones, alleys, on sidewalks or planting strips, in tow-away zones, bus zones, or no-parking zones.

  • How am I supposed to drop off students by car?

We encourage you to Park & Walk on the west side of the school and walk with your child to school. This can be a wonderful community building opportunity!

If you don’t plan to park, the Circulation Map shows suggested driving routes for dropping off and picking up students in grades 6-8 (purple) and grades K-5 (pink). Please do not park on 18th.

To drop students off without parking, we suggest you drive into the neighborhood via the traffic light at 15th/70th and turn left (south) on 18th. Drop older students on the west side of 18th north of 67th, and then turn left (east) to the traffic light at 15th/67th. Drop younger students on the west side of 18th south of 67th (near the Panther Passage entrance), and then drive straight (south) to 65th.

  • How am I supposed to pick up students by car?

We encourage you to Park & Walk on the west side of the school and walk with your child back to your car. This can be a wonderful community building opportunity!

If you don’t plan to park, the Circulation Map shows suggested driving routes for dropping off and picking up students in grades 6-8 (purple) and grades K-5 (pink). Please do not park on 18th. Make a plan with your child so they know when and where to find you!

To pick students up without parking, we suggest you drive into the neighborhood via the traffic light at 15th/70th and turn left (south) on 18th. Ask older students to meet you on the west side of 18th north of 67th, and then turn left (east) to the traffic light at 15th/67th. Ask younger students to meet you on the west side of 18th south of 67th (near the Panther Passage entrance), and then drive straight (south) to 65th.

  • What is changing for school bus riders?

The routine for students who ride the school bus is the same.

Bus riders will now enjoy increased safety when they arrive and depart school, because 19th between 65th and 67th is now closed to pass-through traffic on school days from 7am-5pm due to the School Street.

  • Am I eligible for bus service, and if so, how can I request it?

Elementary and K-8 school sites generally have a 1-mile walk boundary. If you live further than 1 mile from Salmon Bay, or meet other certain conditions, you may be eligible for transportation services. Please direct questions to the Seattle Public Schools Transportation Department, transdept@seattleschools.org or 206-252-0900.

  • What is changing for families who walk or bike to school?

The routine for students who walk or bike to school is the same, and these modes are highly encouraged!

The Circulation Map shows suggested walking routes that include intersections with safety features such as flashing beacons, stop signs, and marked crosswalks. Salmon Bay has three convenient bike racks: one at the SE corner of the school near 18th/65th, one at the NW corner of the school near 19th/67th, and one in the Panther Passage. Please walk your bike in the Panther Passage.

Salmon Bay is located near the 17th Healthy Street, an ideal walking and biking route. Healthy Streets are designated by SDOT as closed to pass through traffic, but open to people walking, rolling, biking, and playing. The goal of this program is to open up more space for people rather than cars—improving community and individual health. For more information, please see tinyurl.com/sdothealthystreets. 

  • How does ADA access work?

The routine for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) access is the same. There is still one designated ADA parking spot on the west side of 18th near the main school entrance.

Families who need to use this space will enjoy increased safety since the rest of this portion of 18th is a loading zone (no parking).

  • Do the changes affect field trips, after school programs, or weekends/holidays?

Not typically, no.

School Circulation Plans communicate how to access a school during drop-off, pick-up, and other times when school-related traffic is high. They are designed to help parents, students, staff, and neighbors understand the most efficient and safe routes for entering, exiting, and navigating near the school premises.

Our Circulation Plan is most essential immediately before and after school: 8:30–9:05am and 3:15–3:50pm (2:00–2:35pm on Wednesdays) during the school year. Per SDOT, the School Street is in effect from 7am–5pm on school days. Seattle parking regulations always apply.

We have spoken with the staff at the Salmon Bay Boys & Girls Club (Coho) after school program to share our updated circulation plan with them. The majority of Coho pick-ups happen between 5–6pm, and will not be affected by the School Street. If you need to pick your child up before 5pm by car, we suggest you park on 19th north of 67th.

Please reach out to FOSB Traffic Safety Committee co-chairs Meredith Rawls and Mike Bigelow with any specific concerns you may have for programs held at Salmon Bay outside of school hours: meredith.rawls@gmail.com and mbigelow@gmail.com.

  • How did you develop the new plan?

Once we decided a change was needed, we focused our efforts on consulting with experts (like folks at SDOT) and listening to the community’s needs. We started going to FOSB meetings and getting feedback from other engaged families and Principal Dixon. We realized we could form a new Traffic Safety Committee, so we did! Each committee member has unique ideas and perspectives, but we are committed to working together to improve safety, even if the end result doesn’t look exactly like any one person’s vision.

During the 2024-2025 school year, we have attended FOSB events, developed a relationship with the Safe Routes to School team at SDOT, learned from Principal Dixon and staff about past approaches, and reached out to families with a survey. The survey, which was open from Nov-Dec 2024, captured input from 167 families representing 215 students. We sat at Mabel Coffee with a giant white board map and passionately discussed minutiae of traffic engineering and how people use public streets.

We are a small group of volunteers with finite resources, and we are counting on your help to keep our school safe and welcoming!

  • Why don’t you just hire a crossing guard?

Hiring a crossing guard for 18th/65th was one of the most popular suggestions from our Fall 2024 survey! Many families who have been at Salmon Bay for years fondly remember the 20 year tenure of our crossing guard Des, who retired in October 2022.

Unfortunately, one crossing guard cannot singlehandedly address the safety concerns on streets and at intersections all around the school. We need clear directions that minimize unsafe driver behaviors for people arriving at school by all modes of transportation, and this gap is what our Circulation Plan aims to fill.

That said, we would love to hire a new crossing guard! Salmon Bay has been advertising this position for years now, and has not yet hired a long-term crossing guard. If you or somebody you know is interested, we encourage you to visit seattleschools.org/departments/transportation/jobs. 

  • How can I share my feedback on these changes?

We value your input! To evaluate how the new Circulation Plan is working, this survey will remain open through the rest of the 2024-25 school year: tinyurl.com/sbk8trafficfeedback 

You can also reach out directly to the FOSB Traffic Safety Committee co-chairs, Meredith Rawls and Mike Bigelow, with any urgent questions or concerns: meredith.rawls@gmail.com and mbigelow@gmail.com.

  • Are you planning any other changes in the near future?

Yes, we hope so!

Installing a School Street shows SDOT that Salmon Bay is serious about traffic safety, and we learned this will help fast track the area surrounding our school for more permanent infrastructure upgrades. These are likely to include all-way stops at 18th/67th and 19th/67th, painted crosswalks at 18th/67th, and possibly speed humps along 18th and 19th. The Traffic Safety Committee is also interested in advocating for SDOT to do a traffic study on 65th between 15th and 20th to see if more traffic calming elements are warranted.

In the shorter term, we want to host a curb painting party to reinforce existing loading zones, coordinate with Walk/Bike to School Month efforts in May, and listen to feedback from our school community to see what changes we may need to make for Fall 2025. Please share feedback here: tinyurl.com/sbk8trafficfeedback 

  • How can I help?

Please fill out our survey to tell us how the Circulation Plan is working for you! tinyurl.com/sbk8trafficfeedback