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New lighting added to Seattle's Alki Beach
New pedestrian lights have gone up along West Seattle's Alki Beach, an effort to improve safety and deter burglaries in the popular area.
SEATTLE - Strolling along Alki Avenue and 61st Avenue, you might notice some new pedestrian lights have gone up.
New pedestrian lights along Alki Avenue. (FOX 13 Seattle)
"It’s warm, it’s welcoming. It’s on every other light post," said Charlotte Starck, Alki Community Council President.
The overhead lights now light up restaurant row from 63rd to 57th. The hope is that they add an extra layer of safety.
"It’s about visibility and deterrence. It’s about helping people to see, but also to be seen, so that we can change that behavior that’s been causing problems. We’ve seen smash and grabs. We’ve had gun violence," Starck said.
New pedestrian lights along Alki Avenue. (FOX 13 Seattle)
What they're saying:
Some businesses are hopeful, after many have been recent victims of burglaries.
"We recently got broken into," said Erika Torres, owner of Fire Tacos. "It’s not gonna solve all the problems, but it’s a big step forward and I’m super happy that Alki businesses are being heard and also the community because we all deserve to be safe here."
Torres said the break-in at Fire Tacos was her first encounter with burglars, but many of her neighbors have been dealing with the same thing.
It’s why they were grateful to see crews installing the pedestrian lights earlier this week.
New pedestrian lights being installed along Alki Avenue.
"Everybody loves it, everybody is so happy about it because honestly, at night, it does get really dark, so people are happy to see that we have lights on the block," Starck said.
With the extra lights comes better visibility, something business owners and the community makes changes for the better.
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The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.