The 10-week ‘Walk Downtown Bellevue‘ campaign that kicked off last week on June 22nd, is on now through September 2nd. In its 4th year, this Bellevue Downtown Association event promotes residents, workers, and visitors to navigate the city by foot. Downtown Bellevue is pedestrian-friendly, and there’s no excuse not to get outside and walk during these summer months.
This year’s challenge is to walk 10,000 steps per day for 10 weeks. Starter Kits, that include a pedometer, walking map, and water bottle, can be picked up by the 1st 1,000 participants at various Downtown locations (all listed below). Participating in ‘Walk Downtown Bellevue’ will have its perks too. The Prize Patrol will be on duty during Live at Lunch concerts, handing out prizes to those who display their official Starter Kit pedometers. Pick up your Kit today and get to stepp’n!
Sign-up/Starter Kit Locations:
Avalon Towers Bellevue
10349 NE 10th Street
Bellevue Wellness
10655 NE 4th Street
BECU
200 Bellevue Way NE
DavidBartonGym at The Bravern
11111 NE 8th Street
Bellevue Downtown Association
500 108th Avenue NE, Suite 210
Not sure I would call DT Bellevue pedestrian friendly:
1. Huge blocks
2. LONG wait at some intersections.
3. Jaywalking tickets.
4. Cars not expecting peds.
5. Having to turn the walk sign on.
6. Not much on street parking to buffer.
7. City likes to turn quiet streets with lot’s of residential like 10th into 520 on ramps…
I walk everyday in DT Bellevue, it’s really pretty bad. If Bellevue wants to be more livable and not just a place people commute to in their cars they have a long way to go. Still ZERO bike lanes DT!
In my opinion DT Bellevue is absolutely ped friendly. I work in a building on NE 8th and NE 108th and can easily walk to lunch, shopping, the outdoor market or bus stops that will get me further distances, like DT Seattle. As far as jaywalking tickets are concerned, isn’t jaywalking illegal anyway? And wouldn’t you rather have to push a button for a walking sign, when it means that whenever you’re the driver, your light is shorter if no one needs to cross the intersection by foot? We may not have bike lanes quite yet, but I know several of the DT buildings have designated lock-up areas where bikes can be stored during the work day, so at least for some it’s an option. I am a fan of “Walk DT Bellevue” campaign. We certainly have it better than some cities!
MOD Pizza…no doubt…cant beat it!!!
I live in downtown Bellevue and walk a lot. I find downtown Bellevue very pedestrian friendly EXCEPT for the NE 8th-I405 intersection. I avoid that intersection, and whenever I want to cross over to the other side of 405, I use the 10th St. overpass.
Everywhere else, the streets and intersections around the Bellevue Square Mall, Transit Center, downtown park, Main Street are excellent walking locations. And if I want a workout walk, I hike up and down the Meydenbauer Park road taking a break to enjoy the beautiful view from the park in the middle.
I agree with justin that Bellevue does have a good amount of room for improvement when it comes to walkability. I live in DT Bellevue and work in DT Seattle and it is really nice not having to press the button to cross the street because more times than not you JUST miss pressing it and have to wait another cycle. But one thing that Bellevue is doing right is encouraging new development to offer wider sidewalks (ex. Avalon Towers / Bellevue Towers / Washington Square). They are also giving incentives to builders to break up the superblocks. But when you look at DT Bellevue and DT Seattle it really does not compare, however, Bellevue has really gone a long way in the past few years.
I walk pretty much everywhere in the downtown core. My only complaint is that we need more overpasses on 8th street to speed things up.
I consider Bellevue to be very pedestrian friendly. Longer blocks means fewer street crossings, and it’s no problem for me to push the button for the walk signal. It is clean, well lit and safe, except for the 405/NE8th intersection. I also only use the NE10th overpass now that it is open.