City knew about dangerous train crossing years before man died

A document dated seven years ago shows the city of Seattle knew the train crossings in and around the Othello Light Rail Station posed a danger to pedestrians.

Just after 6:30 in the morning Jan. 23, Michael Beaty was hit and killed by a northbound light rail train while in the crosswalk.

“I'm just very sad that this happened,” said Beaty’s friend Debbie Brechler. “He was such a great guy.”

By all accounts from eyewitnesses and the conductor, the train was approaching the crosswalk at about 35 miles per hour. Beaty did not have a walk sign, his head was down, and the signals were working.

However, before you dismiss this case and blame the man who lost his life that day, you should listen for a moment to Jon Morgan.

Morgan once walked this same train crossing on behalf of the city of Seattle.

“You don't have to be a pedestrian safety expert to understand this is a problem,” Morgan said.

In 2009 Morgan was a volunteer member of the Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board.
The Board is a group of citizens who work with the Seattle Department of Transportation on issues related to the safety of walkers.

After examining the area around the Othello Light Rail Station seven years ago, the advisory board wrote up its meeting minutes.

The document reads in part: "Excessively long crossing times exist… Jaywalking is not just encouraged by this, but also it appears to be required."

Nearly seven years later, KIRO 7 cameras watched the crosswalk for hours and captured the same issues raised by the advisory board. We saw people repeatedly disobeying the crosswalk signals due to waits of two-four minutes.

“I mean if it wasn't him, it was bound to be someone else,” Brechler said. “People shouldn't have to take their lives into harm's way just to get across the street.”

City Traffic Engineer DongHo Chang said after the pedestrian advisory board highlighted the problem in 2009, crosswalk-timing tweaks were made.

He said wait times were improved, especially during non-peak hours.

However, Chang told us at rush hour the trains have to be a priority, even if it means crossing delays.

“During the critical times when people depend on the light rail system, people living in the community need to have access,” Chang said. “We need to have the train get through, and take people where they need to go.”

Chang said this summer SDOT and Sound Transit will be looking at the crosswalks again, and may even be adding some pedestrian sensing technology in the future to make things safer.

Currently, Chang said pedestrian safety ultimately comes down to personal responsibility. He points to the clear signs and sounds that announce oncoming trains.

“We really need everyone to obey the traffic signal,” Chang said. “That's how we can really keep everybody safe.”

Morgan acknowledges pedestrians do play a huge role in their own safety. However, he feels the long wait times still present too much temptation.

Morgan also points out that the day Beaty died light rail was down for three hours. It was pretty much the entire morning commute.

"When your entire region is depending on this line as a parallel to I-5, you're stopping everyone who's depending on the system," Morgan said.
"This is the weak link in the chain."

Morgan advocates raising the light rail system through South Seattle, and even started a petition.

A spokeswoman Sound Transit said raising the line is not a priority right now, largely because of other financial obligations to expand the system.

Cox Media Group