photo courtesy of Pixabay user Surprising_Shots
(SEATTLE) A member of the Seattle city council wants nearly 4-MILLION additional dollars budgeted to address pedestrian and bike safety.
And she wants to spend the bulk of the money in her district.
Tammy Morales says when elected back in 2019, her mission wasn’t safe streets, but it is now. HALF of the city’s deadly accidents involving cars, pedestrians, and bikes happen in her Rainier Avenue South district.
She wants more money — specifically another million to upgrade plastic posts to full concrete barriers between bikes and cars along 4 miles of streets in her district.
The mayor’s proposed budget does include money for safety improvements. Morales acknowledges that, but tells the Times “In this budget, we see investments made in downtown and North Seattle, but we’re still not seeing investments in the area of the city most plagued by traffic deaths.”
Adding more money to the budget might be like riding a bicycle to the top of the Mount Baker neighborhood because of Seattle’s 141-MILLION dollar shortfall expected next year.