Not able to livetweet all of the comments unfortunately, but nearly all of the people calling in are asking for the Seattle Transportation Plan to rethink its current approach to allocating room for people on bikes.
seattlegreenways.org/blog/2022/03/1
Conversation
Erik Kemper of District 3: "I do not own a car but what I'm left wondering looking at this plan-is it time to get one?"
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Clara Cantor of notes how bike infrastructure in the Rainier Valley is disconnected out-of-the-way, and "doesn't feel particularly safe". Notes that a huge proportion of people killed by traffic in Seattle are in District 2.
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Now the committee is actually getting to the presentation on the Seattle Transportation Plan. Chair Alex Pedersen scaling back expectations for this meeting, saying they're simply hearing about the outreach strategy.
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Jonathan Lewis of SDOT says it was great to hear the public comments this morning and that the department's thinking is aligned with the people giving comment, focused on climate and safety.
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Lewis says there were concerns raised about moving on from the 4 modal plans, but that they are the foundation of the work. Also they've identified gaps: micromobility, curbside management, and people/pedestrian streets.
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We've been reporting on this process for about 15 months now but in terms of the SDOT timeline, things are just starting.
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I wrote yesterday that this seems like the best public outreach plan SDOT's ever done, and that still seems true in the presentation. That's separate from the assumptions SDOT is making internally.
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Land use and transportation planning happening at the same time, also a really great thing!
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Ok, getting into council questions. The important part of the meeting. is up first. Appreciates the work SDOT has done to change community engagement, cites Lake Washington Boulevard work as evidence.
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"That said..." says she heard a concern that there's a perception that we're moving away from past planning on vision zero and climate goals. Says she can't ride on Rainier Ave to get downtown on bike, has to take a route with 34 turns, 2 hillclimbs.
On climate, she shares her 11 year old son noting that "we aren't even trying" to meet our climate goals. Asks how the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Analysis is being integrated.
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Asks how this plan could be the single most impactful plan to reduce transportation emissions, wants to know how this plan treats reducing emissions. Asks how the process will achieve equity for displaced people, disabled people, people of color, and low income people.
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Asks how the process will achieve mode share goals without pitting modes against each other. And asks about integrating with the urban village strategy if that policy may shift over time.
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Sounds like we're not getting complete answers to those questions today, but Jonathan Lewis says the vision zero goal is a key performance target. SDOT is still working on integrating the Bike and Pedestrian Safety Analysis.
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On climate, Lewis notes emissions are being reduced per capita, but that we didn't set a per capita goal, we set a total one. One more thing where a "holistic approach" is said to be more effective than what we've done before.
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On displacement, Joanna Valencia of SDOT says they are working with OPCD to collect data and looking at ways gaps in the transportation network can be filled to help people who have been displaced.
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In answering the question on performance measures, Lewis pointed to the Moving the Needle annual performance report. Here's the website for that- looks like we're a bit out of date here.
seattle.gov/transportation
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On the "competing modes" topic, SDOT says they want to create additional policy guidance and clarity to minimize the "for lack of a better word, the street fighting" that goes on.
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Lisa Herbold is asking about how the implementation schedules for the modal plans will evolve with this plan. Sounds like there are some early concepts of moving toward corridor-based planning and tying projects into available funding.
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Calvin Chow of council staff says that council will want to pay attention to how those implementation schedules are handled.
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Dan Strauss's comments start out touting freight prioritization over cars. Brings up being hit by a driver and spending 4 days at Harborview and the importance of Vision Zero. Notes the importance of every mode having a connected network.
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Strauss says he wants to "uplift" the transit plan. Says the transit plan is the oldest of the modal plans. "Transit feels most out of date", Lewis says. Strauss notes how much has changes in transit, i.e. ST3.
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Strauss brings up the possibility of going to the voters for additional transit projects thanks to the legislature. Says it's important to plan for those projects and not just include buses in the transit plan.
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Morales final comments: "What you're hearing from community and from us, we really want to see a plan that will include the details" to get to reduced carbon emissions and increased safety and into the 21st century "instead of keeping us anchored in the Eisenhower era".
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Alex Pedersen's only question is whether SDOT is planning a statistically valid survey as part of the process. The answer is they are exploring that. Meeting adjourned!
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