"Right now, it is just the Wild West on Sixth Street." Councilmember Craig Cyr, who lives on Sixth Street, said that at an August 17 city council meeting, according to the South Whidbey Record. At the time, the street had no stop signs and no markings to slow anyone down. Later, in a text message quoted in the same story, he said residents had "seen speeds significantly increase since the withdrawal of construction equipment, signage and other markings."
Those unmarked weeks showed how much the street's layout affects speed, and the new layout is built on that idea. When Sixth Street is finished, the 20 mph sign will be only part of the speed control. The bigger part is the missing centerline.
Why the City Took the Centerline Away
The City of Langley chose Sixth Street for an edge lane road because its own speed data showed drivers speeding there. The City's explanation is that a wide, straight road with a solid centerline invites people to drive fast. The City's edge lane page puts it this way: "Speed limit signs establish legal limits, but roadway design is more effective at influencing behavior." Taking away the centerline and narrowing the space that feels drivable "introduces uncertainty, which naturally encourages drivers to slow down." The City compares this to streets like Second Street that already work that way.
The street has many kinds of users. The City lists people on foot, cyclists, the Children's Center, Island Church, school buses, transit and cars. Sixth Street carries about 2,200 vehicles a day today. The City projects just over 4,000 a day by 2045, which it still calls low volume. Sixth Street is still classified as a collector road, and the City says the new design can handle both today's traffic and the 2045 projection.
The decision wasn't made this year. It came out of the City's Comprehensive Planning process from 2023 to 2025, and the City Council adopted it. The March 24, 2026 community meeting was held to explain the change to residents, not to decide whether to make it. The timing worked out because the street was already torn up. Utility work for the Langley Infrastructure Project was underway, Sixth Street was already due for new striping, and the pedestrian pathway was included in the project's funding. In 2025, the South Whidbey Record reported that the infrastructure contract came to $9 million from seven funding sources, including a $4 million voter-approved bond and a $3 million Island County grant.
The City backs up its safety case with research. It cites a Mineta Transportation Institute study from 2021 that looked at 11 roads over eight years, about 60 million trips, and found 44% fewer crashes than the two-lane designs they replaced. In Port Townsend, after an edge lane road went in, 14% more vehicles drove 15 to 20 mph and 11% fewer drove 25 to 30 mph.
Meeting an Oncoming Car
The new layout asks drivers to do something most American two-lane roads never require. Langley's FAQ says so directly: drivers must "yield to oncoming vehicles while also being aware of people using the edge of the road." The City describes the pass in four steps:
- Drive in the center lane for normal travel.
- When an oncoming vehicle comes toward you, move briefly into the dashed edge lane on your side to let it pass.
- Yield to anyone walking or biking in that edge lane before you move into it.
- Once you've passed each other, move back to the center.
If you'd like to see it before you drive it, the City links to a short video of an edge lane road in use. The relevant part runs from 15:12 to 15:54. The National Association of City Transportation Officials describes the same basic design: a two-way center lane between dashed bike lanes, with drivers moving into the side lane to pass only when it's clear.
Not everyone was enthusiastic about the change. In March, the South Whidbey Record reported that some residents worried about how large vehicles would handle the narrower center lane and about losing an efficient through street. The City's reply is the same reason it gives for the whole design: a lower speed gives drivers more time to react when they have to watch both oncoming traffic and the edge of the road.
Where Everyone Else Goes
The dashed lanes are shared space, and the City's FAQ explains who is expected to use each part of the street:
| Who | Where the City expects them |
|---|---|
| Cars and trucks | Center lane, using the edge lane only to pass an oncoming vehicle |
| Motorcycles and high-powered e-bikes | Center lane, using the edge lane to pass, never the pedestrian pathway |
| Bicycles | Usually the edge lanes, though they may legally ride in the center lane |
| People walking | The separated pathway is encouraged, but the edge lanes are allowed |
| Mobility scooters | Either the edge lane or the separated pathway |
The e-bike row needs a closer look. Under Washington law, as the City summarizes it, an e-bike over 750 watts, with a throttle that goes past 20 mph, or with pedal assist past 28 mph counts as a motorcycle. That puts it with the motor vehicles, and it doesn't belong on the pathway. A walker or scooter rider using the edge lane may face oncoming traffic if that feels safer. Cyclists can take the center lane, which helps when they need to go around someone walking.
The separated pathway runs along the south side the full length of Sixth, from Park Avenue to Cascade Avenue. It winds, sometimes running right next to the thickened road edge and sometimes sitting up to eight feet away across a strip of grass. The City left that strip unpaved to save money, reduce hard surfaces, help people on foot feel safer, and limit the impact on nearby wetlands. New crosswalks go in at Anthes Avenue and near the South Whidbey Children's Center and the Sixth Street bus stop. Anthes Avenue is also the street for Whale Bell Park, which the City places at the north end of Anthes and describes as providing access to Seawall Park.
The Park Avenue Corner and the 20 mph Limit
Park Avenue and Sixth Street meet at a corner the City calls a "limited-visibility intersection." While planning, the City considered three options. It could carry the edge lane setup onto Park, extend two-lane striping a short way onto Sixth, or install a three-way stop. It chose the three-way stop. The City's October 1 project update confirmed the 3-way stop at Park and Sixth, new permanent speed limit and information signs, and a 20 mph limit on both Sixth and Park. The update added: "Yes, we mean it! SLOW DOWN!"
Most Langley streets are posted at 25 mph, so this is a step down. The City's reasoning is about survival. People are much more likely to survive a crash at or below 20 to 25 mph, serious injuries become more likely as speeds approach 30 mph, and the risk of death rises sharply above 30. The goal, in the City's words, is "the safest reasonable speed, not the safest possible speed." The FAQ also says other Langley roads may get lower limits over time under the Comprehensive Plan. The October update also added a stop bar on Fourth Street at Cascade and crosswalk and striping work on Edgecliff at Camano.
A Finish Line That Depends on Dry Pavement
The last stretch of work has had problems. Public Works Director Randi Perry told the South Whidbey Record in September that water wasn't reaching the catch basins at several spots, and that the City and contractor Earthworks Solutions had agreed on which sections to tear out and replace. She also described compaction problems on the pathway. Certerra, a testing firm, took core samples to check them, and Perry said some of that asphalt might have to be replaced. The City's September 11 update found a stranger problem too: horsetail, a plant the City calls prehistoric, growing up through 2.5 inches of new asphalt.
The October 1 update said restoration and punch-list work would continue through the rest of October at Edgecliff, Furman, Decker, Sixth Street, Fourth Street, Al Anderson and Island View, as Earthworks Solutions crews were available. That includes asphalt repair near 930 Edgecliff Drive to fix a drainage problem. The City's contract target is completion on or before Thursday, October 29. Perry said she was "very positive" the work would finish on time. She also said rain could hold up paving, because overlays need a dry surface. Topsoil and seeding can go ahead in the rain. So you may still run into flaggers and short detours on Sixth Street this week.
Once the crews leave, the City will watch how drivers actually behave. It plans to monitor speeds after the project is done, and if they stay high, it may add measures such as radar speed signs. Until then, the Langley Police Department has been doing "courtesy pullovers" to remind drivers of the posted limit.
This post shares the City of Langley's published guidance for general information. It isn't legal advice, so for questions about your own situation, check with the City or the right professional.
At Craig McKenzie, we follow the road projects, lane changes and new crosswalks that shape getting around Whidbey Island. If you have questions about how a project like Sixth Street affects your corner of Langley, our team is glad to talk it through. Let Us Bring You Home.
