‘Your neighbor was killed in a automobile crash right here.’ 200+ yellow memorial silhouettes put in round Seattle – Seattle Bike Weblog
For those who see a yellow silhouette hooked up to a pole or signal round city, it’s there as a result of an individual was killed in a visitors collision close to that spot within the almost 9 years since Seattle first authorised it’s Imaginative and prescient Zero objective in 2015. The sheer variety of these yellow memorials, numbering over 200, offers a grim standing report on the town’s progress towards its objective of zero visitors deaths and severe accidents by 2030.
The indicators have been put in because of a major volunteer-powered effort led by Seattle Neighborhood Greenways and are a part of the annual World Day of Remembrance memorializing victims of visitors violence and calling for change.
Along with the indicators, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways has two neighborhood walks deliberate in two of the town’s worst scorching spots for visitors deaths: SoDo and Aurora. Particulars:
— Commercial —
11 a.m. Friday, November 17
SODO – SODO Hyperlink Station Station11 a.m. Saturday, November 18
Aurora Avenue – Aurora Ave and N 84th Road
This yr, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways is particularly focusing on essentially the most harmful sorts of streets within the metropolis. “80% of pedestrian fatalities happen on streets with a couple of journey lane in every route — our vast, busy streets the place folks really feel comfy driving quick,” stated Gordon Padelford, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways Government Director, in a press launch. “In the meantime, 80% of individuals biking are killed on streets with out bike lanes.”
A disproportionate proportion of latest will increase in visitors deaths have been folks strolling, in order that needs to be an apparent high precedence for visitors security efforts. However World Day of Remembrance is about everybody killed in visitors, together with folks in vehicles.
a map of visitors deaths, the issue roadways are instantly clear. Aurora Ave, north Rainier Ave S, a number of places in SoDo and a few spots on MLK Manner S in Rainier Valley stand out, although there are many different downside spots.
However if you happen to take a better have a look at Rainier Ave S, you may also see some potential excellent news. This avenue’s visitors loss of life toll as soon as rivaled Aurora, however a visitors security mission that started in 2015 has dramatically diminished deaths and accidents there. You possibly can see the place the protection mission ended as a result of that’s the place the purple dots (representing actual human lives) start. That is an astounding success story value celebrating. It’s also proof that fixing these harmful streets will not be solely attainable, however that SDOT already is aware of methods to do it. We needs to be replicating our avenue security redesign initiatives as broadly and shortly as attainable.
Under is the total press launch from Seattle Neighborhood Greenways:
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, an area nonprofit advocating for secure strolling, biking, and rolling routes within the metropolis not too long ago distributed over 200 orange silhouettes across the metropolis to mark places the place automobile collisions have killed folks since 2015. The set up is a part of The World Day of Remembrance for Highway Visitors Victims (WDR), a world occasion on Sunday, November nineteenth that brings consideration to the hundreds of thousands of people that have been killed and critically injured on roads world wide and the affect these deaths have on our communities.
In 2015, the Metropolis of Seattle adopted Imaginative and prescient Zero as a objective and a program to remove deaths and severe accidents for all highway customers by 2030. Sadly, that objective continues to be out of attain with the town seeing almost 30 deaths and 180 severe accidents yearly, and 2023 is on observe to be one of many deadliest years on document.
“Whereas there are a number of components which can be resulting in this enhance in crashes, avenue design performs a serious function. 80% of pedestrian fatalities happen on streets with a couple of journey lane in every route — our vast, busy streets the place folks really feel comfy driving quick. In the meantime, 80% of individuals biking are killed on streets with out bike lanes,” stated Gordon Padelford, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways Government Director. “The excellent news is that as we’ve seen in cities world wide decreasing deaths by automobile collisions is feasible. An important factor native governments, together with Seattle, can do is to revamp our streets with security because the precedence. In doing so we are able to guarantee everybody could make it house safely to their family members whether or not they’re driving, strolling, or using a motorcycle on our streets.”
2024 is a vital alternative for Seattle to deal with security for its streets. The Seattle Division of Transportation launched its Seattle Transportation plan earlier this fall which is able to information how the town goes about planning for its transportation community for the following decade and past. The preliminary draft lacks the dedication to revamp our most harmful streets — Aurora Ave N, MLK Manner S, 4th Ave S (SODO), and Lake Metropolis Manner.
“The Seattle Transportation Plan and the following transportation levy should make main security enhancements on our most harmful streets if we’re going to have any hope to achieve our metropolis’s Imaginative and prescient Zero objective,” stated Clara Cantor, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways Group Organizer. “Folks in Seattle have stated repeatedly via polling and surveys that they need a secure transportation system the place everybody will get house safely. It’s time for the town to do one thing about it.”
To deliver consciousness to this concern three occasions are being hosted alongside three of essentially the most harmful corridors. Under is details about every occasion. Please contact Josh at [email protected] for extra info or steerage on methods to attend.
Friday, November 17, 2023
SODO – SODO Hyperlink Station Station
11:00 AM – 12:00 PMSaturday, November 18, 2023
Aurora Avenue – Aurora Ave and N 84th Road
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM
