A woman wrote to the Seattle Times's Bumper to Bumper column last weekend to ascertain the legality of a forklift crossing a road.

Janet Schuroll spotted the forklift crossing 12th Avenue South while carrying a load between a warehouse and a grocery store near the Chinatown district. It was during morning rush-hour traffic.

"The driver crosses in the middle of the block while north and southbound cars are stopped for a red light. Is this legal?" she said.

Katherine Casseday, Seattle transportation department's traffic-management director, said the practice was illegal and dangerous.

Use of forklifts on city streets was restricted to certain times of the day, she said.

City officials and market owners discussed the problem and agreed to restrict crossings to off-peak daylight hours.