At the December Ballard District Council meeting, Council President Jennifer Macuiba called for volunteers to address poor illumination and impaired pedestrian safety along major thoroughfares in Ballard and Crown Hill. Seattle City Light does not automatically check for street light operation, leaving that up to citizens like us to initiate a repair by reporting the outage.  During the week before Christmas, the volunteers fanned out along Market, 15th, 8th, Holman Rd, 85th, 65th and other areas with high pedestrian traffic, and identified a total of 198 malfunctioning (either completely or intermittently out) street lights. Each of the lights was entered into Seattle City Light’s online trouble report at: http://seattle.gov/light/streetlight/ Some of the lights were already repaired by the first week of January 2010.

The volunteers covered the major streets and arterials, but there are many streetlights which were not surveyed by this effort, and are on the much darker interior streets of our neighborhood. This is where we would like to enlist your assistance in this effort to improve pedestrian safety. As you walk, bicycle or drive on our neighborhood streets, make a note of any lights which are malfunctioning, and report them. You will need the pole number (a reflective number affixed to the pole), the closest street address, and a description of the issue (light out, light intermittent, vegetation blocking the light, etc.). Report any lights which are out promptly using the online form at: http://seattle.gov/light/streetlight/ Seattle City Light will endeavor to fix the lights within 10 days of first report. A less than 5 minute investment of your time can make a difference for both you and your neighbors!