Drivers, Slow Your Roll: Raised Crosswalk Installed in Key Center July 22

A long-anticipated raised crosswalk was installed in Key Center July 22, part of a broader effort to improve pedestrian safety and slow traffic through the area.

The raised crosswalk, also called a speed table, is the culmination of a grassroots effort led by longtime Key Peninsula Council member Kathy Lyons. After a near-miss involving a speeding truck and volunteers decorating Key Center a few years ago, Lyons pushed for a solution to what she and others described as chronic speeding through the commercial core.

“I thought, ‘There has to be something we can do about this now,’ ” Lyons told Key Peninsula News last year. “We don’t need to wait until there’s a death.”

Lyons proposed the idea to Pierce County Council Member Robyn Denson (D-7th), who had already been working with constituents on traffic safety issues in the area. The result was a speed study by the Pierce County Planning and Public Works Department and a three-pronged response: reducing the speed limit in the area from 35 to 30 miles per hour, the installation of “speed buttons” — small rumble strips approaching Key Center in both directions — and now, the speed table itself.

“A number of constituents have reached out through the years with concerns about speeding through Key Center,” Denson said. “As we work to promote a safer, more walkable, and economically vibrant Key Center, we knew we needed to improve traffic safety. This is a wonderful example of a resident-driven idea that will improve safety for everyone on the Key Peninsula.”

Unlike traditional speed bumps, raised crosswalks are longer, flatter, and less jarring — designed to slow drivers with less fear of “bottoming out.”

Denson allotted $100,000 for it in the last county budget.

The new crosswalk spans the Key Peninsula Highway between Sound Credit Union and Fire Station 46. Because there are no curbs in this location, pedestrians — including those using wheelchairs or strollers — will navigate a series of low-rising ramps.

Despite its proximity to the fire department, fire officials said the table’s impact on emergency response times will be minimal.

KP Fire Public Information Officer Anne Nesbit said it will “cause rigs to have to slow down for safety reasons; however, the impact will be minimal to response services.”