Seattle Vision Zero Review Largely Misses the Point

The Urbanist’s Ryan Packer dissects the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT)’s recently released review of the city’s Vision Zero program. Although the city touted the report as a ‘top-to-bottom’ assessment, Packer argues that it only ‘skims the surface.’ In fact, “It focuses on a relatively narrow range of projects where the department was able to make progress on safety, and not on two larger categories: opportunities where safety improvements were ineffective, and opportunities where safety improvement were not included at all.”

“Despite all SDOT presentations starting with a rundown of the department’s vision and values, with safety near the top of the list, the report confirms many things stand in the way of safety improvements becoming fully embedded in everything that happens at the department.”

Packer details the report’s findings, which, for one, “offer a big opportunity for the general public to finally see what barriers exist to fully incorporating safety upgrades in the department’s daily work.” But Packer criticizes the report’s omission of unsuccessful projects and strategies, which could offer valuable lessons for the future.

Nevertheless, the report provides a “tidy list” of actions that SDOT may soon internalize, Packer hopes. The success of ‘rapid response’ interventions such as temporary bike lanes and safety improvements in the last year point to a way forward, if they can serve as models for broader action. Ultimately, Packer concludes, “any strategies are only going to be effective if local leaders allow SDOT to try bold things, and not reserve safety treatments to only the instances where there’s little pushback.”