SEQUIM — The newly installed planters in the middle of Washington Street in downtown Sequim have sparked emotions — even in official circles.
Some City Council members said Monday night that the barriers must be removed — even though the concrete planters have only been there two weeks.
City workers installed the planters to protect people using mid-block crosswalks between Second Street and Sunnyside Avenue.
Impatient drivers were zooming down the center turn lane from blocks away, endangering pedestrians.
But blocking sections of the center lane may also hinder emergency vehicles trying to get through the intersection of Washington Street and Sequim Avenue, which is heavily congested at various times of the day.
Out, say two councilmen
During a meeting Monday night, Councilmen Don Hall and Bill Huizinga said they thought the planters should be removed, and Councilwoman Patricia Kasovia-Schmitt expressed reservations about them.
“The planters are really much larger than I thought they”d be,” she said.
“They’re wider.”
Councilman Paul McHugh, however, said it still isn’t clear if the planters are impeding emergency vehicles, and noted that cars in the left-turn lanes would block the way even if the boxes were removed.
“We don’t have the facts,” he said.
The council took no action.