Leaders from Seattle’s Department of Transportation updated city council members on their efforts to reduce traffic injuries and deaths, and they say safety improvements should drive those efforts.
Among the key takeaways from SDOT’s latest report on the “Vision Zero” plan to eliminate traffic deaths is to incorporate the approach into every project. SDOT’s Francisca Stefan says, “We have done a lot of work to make sure that we have established a program and staffing, but we could do more.” That “more” is happening now as the agency continues to put all the pieces in place while also doing some of the work to make streets safer.
One of the concerns raised is how frequently safety depends on costs, especially since SDOT’s plans often have to line up with federal grant timelines, but the it is taking some steps, like expanding prohibitions on right turns on red lights downtown, where many accidents happen.
Council Member Tammy Morales says she’s extremely disappointed the downtown plan is aimed at tourist season and baseball playoffs without much consideration for her district. “56% of traffic fatalities were in the south end last year,” Morales says, “and so the fact that there’s no mention of that and that there is, rather, a focus on a baseball game is really tone deaf.”
There was also discussion of expanding automated enforcement with more red light and school zone speed cameras. Since many of the injuries and fatalities happen in lower-income areas and neighborhoods of color, Morales says she doesn’t want that to add to over-policing of those areas. However, Morales did make it clear that regardless of race, color, income or any other background, everyone needs to be responsible for driving more safely so they’re not killing their neighbors.
SDOT promises to continue providing regular updates and to include it’s reinvigorated approach to safety in the Mayor’s next budget this fall.
