Council Legislation

Proposed Resolution No. R2022-118

Title: A Resolution of the Pierce County Council Related to Traffic Safety; Endorsing Vision Zero with the Goal of Achieving Zero Traffic Deaths and Serious Injuries on Pierce County Roadways by 2035; Directing the Planning and Public Works Department to Prepare a Vision Zero Action Plan; and Authorizing the Submittal of Grant Applications in Support of the Vision Zero Effort.

Status: Passed

Sponsors: Councilmembers Ryan Mello, Derek Young, Jani Hitchen, Marty Campbell

Final votes

August 30, 2022
Aye Aye Nay Aye Aye Aye Aye


Documents
Additional legislative records are available below Collapse All  Expand All
 

Public Comments

Name Date Comment
CHRISTOPHER JAMES 8/22/22 9:24 AM I support this proposal, and think its goals could be achieved by 2030 (consistent with those of Tacoma). Initial priority should be in two areas: 1) publicize and educate drivers on existing laws (i.e., 3 foot rule to pass cyclists, requirement to stop in all crosswalks), and 2) enforce speed limits. Enforcement works. Any of us who drive through Fircrest observe that all motorists there go 25 mph. Likewise, in at least three towns on the west side of the Cascades: Concrete, Sultan and Startup, motorists there also strictly observe the speed limits. Once the word gets out to drivers that posted speed limits will be strictly enforced, behavior changes. I would also encourage the County to work with Tacoma and King County to coordinate and build a real regional bike trail system. This will help people commute by bike, which is healthier for them, and help to alleviate traffic congestion. It's also far less expensive to build bicycle trails than new roads. Thank you for this opportunity to comment.
Bob Myrick 8/22/22 8:47 PM Chris James said it all in his comment. Education, enforcement and infrastructure are the key activities to reduce crashes in Pierce County. Education applies to both nonmotorized users and drivers. Enforcement is critical as the Pandemic has seemed to change driver behavior in a bad way. We have way too much disregard for posted speed limits. Infrastructure is important but education and enforcement is most important.
Tasha Kang 8/23/22 7:05 PM I’m writing in support of Pierce County council passing the Vision Zero resolution. I live in Pierce County and I want the roads to be safer for my family and friends when they drive, bike, and walk in our community. It has been a month since Michael Weilert was killed in a crosswalk in Pierce County, the time for the council to take action is now -- let’s do more to protect Pierce County kids.
Kylie Percy 8/23/22 9:19 PM I am writing in support of Pierce County council passing the Vision Zero resolution. As a Pierce County resident, I would like to see the roads be safer for not just my family and friends, but everyone when they drive, bike, and walk in our community. Let’s do what it takes to keep our loved ones and the loved ones of others safe!
Christina Walters 8/24/22 6:26 AM I 100% support this!!!!
Wendy Chittenden 8/24/22 9:14 AM I am in support of Pierce County council passing the Vision Zero resolution. I am a Pierce County resident. I want the roads to be safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers in our community. It has been a month since Michael Weilert was killed in a crosswalk in this county and the time for This Council to take action is Right Now. Please protect our children.
Nancy Miller 8/24/22 11:10 AM Please pass this resolution. The County Council needs to prevent kids from dying. It is my understating that Tacoma has Vision Zero. Unincorporated Pierce County matters too.
kc 8/24/22 2:43 PM I support.
A. Chang 8/24/22 3:33 PM Everyone’s comments have been spot on. I fully support anything that keeps our citizens safe and provides education to the community.
Divona Rounds 8/24/22 5:59 PM I’m writing in support of Pierce County council passing the Vision Zero resolution. I live in Pierce County and I want the roads to be safer for my family and friends when they drive, bike, and walk in our community. It has been a month since Michael Weilert was killed in a crosswalk in Pierce County, the time for the council to take action is now -- let’s do more to protect Pierce County kids.
Stephanie smith 8/24/22 10:26 PM I support this proposal to keep streets safer for all children and all citizens no one should have to feel unsafe or fear for their lives because of someone else’s negligence.
Bryan K Wallace 8/25/22 11:30 AM Chris stated it perfectly I am also in support of the Vision Zero resolution. The infrastructure to keep cyclist safe and emphasis on education is key for the community to progress for safety and embetterment .
Nicole choi 8/25/22 9:27 PM I am speaking up and out for all those that can no longer speak for themselves. We as a community need to do better by enforcing actions upon those that are negligent. These tragedies that have occurred are not accidents they are carelessness, most of these carelessness individuals will go homw to their families while families hearts will go absent due to the loss of a loved one. How many more deaths need to occur to justify a need for change? No more do what's right and should have been done a long time ago.
Holly Bamford 8/26/22 12:41 PM As a Pierce county resident I strongly support Vision Zero to help keep pedestrians and bicyclists safe. Throughout the county and especially in rurual areas without sidewalks, children and youth should be able to walk or bicycle to school or other destinations without fearing for their lives. This puts people at the center of the decisions. Thank you.
Jessica Winston 8/29/22 11:10 AM I support this proposal to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries in Pierce County by 2035. I support this as an individual and on behalf of my organization, Greentrike. Unincorporated Pierce County includes the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department target zip code 98444 due to disparate health outcomes. Access to public transportation in unincorporated areas of the county is extremely limited, and walking is made highly unsafe as a result of few sidewalks. Just in the last 8 months, two children in the Franklin Pierce School District lost their lives in separate traffic incidents (one 13-year-old struck in crosswalk on July 19, 2022 in Parkland, and one 12-year-old a victim of a hit-and-run on January 15, 2022 in Midland; in the latter incident another 12-year-old was struck and injured). Accessing early learning centers, elementary, middle, and high schools is difficult across several districts in unincorporated parts of the county, placing children and caregivers at risk. Disabled individuals in these areas also have safety risks due to the lack of sidewalks, crosswalks, and being able to navigate the terrain. Passing this resolution will benefit all members of the community and save lives.
Emily Lavely-Holloway 8/29/22 11:20 AM As a citizen, parent, and community member of Tacoma and Pierce County MORE needs to be done to support members in our community that don’t use a personal vehicle as a primary mode of transportation. My family and I walk and ride bikes through out community (locally and more broadly across the city and county) and have experienced a litany of close calls and near misses from drivers who are speeding, coming through cross walks while we’re in them with the “protection” of the light, or straddling the lines of the bike lanes. Speed limits should be reduced, speed bumps or roundabouts should be put in place as an effort to slow traffic. While certain streets may be primary arterials, they often feel more like raceways with drivers blowing past. I have personally experienced the following just in the last two months: -I was nearly hit while crossing 21st St (between Alder and I streets in Tacoma) on a recent August morning. In that same morning, at the same spot, I witnessed FOUR other people also narrowly avoid being hit while crossing the street. - At least three times I, or my family and I, have had cars roll up on us while we were crossing with the light in the crosswalk on 26th and Proctor in North Tacoma. In one case I slapped my hand on the hood - We are teaching our son (6.5) that it is not safe to cross simply because the light changes, you have to look again before stepping into the street and keep looking while crossing as being in the cross walk with the light means nothing anymore. - There are not enough “safe” places to cross Ruston to get to your car if you are parked on the south side of the road. And even while using one of the blinking cross walks drivers don’t pay attention. More should be done to slow and regulate traffic along Ruston Way. of the car becuase that’s how close they were, and the driver got mad at ME. - On the Foothills and Cushman trails I have narrowly avoided being hit while attempting to cross the roads and surface streets on my bike. - As a cyclist we need more PROTECTED bike lanes and safe streets to ride on. If a driver doesn’t get us, uneven, pothole riddled roads will throw us from our bikes into the roads, especially as rain will be here and the holes will become hidden with water. I think it’s also important to note that underserved and underrepresented populations (low income and communities of color specifically) have the highest rate of traffic fatalities. We have a responsibility to support and serve ALL in our community. Priortizing help and access in these communities is essential for a healthy, stable community. And in order to do this please be sure to include organizations and lay people that are trusted advocates and advisors to the communities we seek to help. Too often someone with a big idea and good intentions runs with an idea without actually discussing the impact or execution with the impacted parties. Don’t do this, seek support and assistance from those your good intentions want to help. And then please make sure there are measurements and benchmarks in place that encourage the actual measurement of progress and success. We cannot have an unmeasurable project and no accountability. Emily Lavely-Holloway Resident (District7); Employee (District 4)
Pierce County Early Childhood Network 8/29/22 11:37 AM We support this proposal to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries in Pierce County by 2035. Unincorporated Pierce County includes the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department target zip code 98444 due to disparate health outcomes. Access to public transportation in unincorporated areas of the county is extremely limited, and walking is made highly unsafe as a result of few sidewalks. Just in the last 8 months, two children in the Franklin Pierce School District lost their lives in separate traffic incidents (one 13-year-old struck in crosswalk on July 19, 2022 in Parkland, and one 12-year-old a victim of a hit-and-run on January 15, 2022 in Midland; in the latter incident another 12-year-old was struck and injured). Accessing early learning centers, elementary, middle, and high schools is difficult across several districts in unincorporated parts of the county, placing children and caregivers at risk. Disabled individuals in these areas also have safety risks due to the lack of sidewalks, crosswalks, and being able to navigate the terrain. Passing this resolution will benefit all members of the community and save lives.
Rachel Shepard 8/30/22 8:23 AM I’m writing in support of Pierce County council passing the Vision Zero resolution. I live in Pierce County and I want the roads to be safer for my family and friends when they drive, bike, and walk in our community. It has been a month since Michael Weilert was killed in a crosswalk in Pierce County, the time for the council to take action is now -- let’s do more to protect Pierce County kids.
May Gunderson 8/30/22 9:39 AM I support this Proposal I’m praying that when it is implemented that it actually will be followed through with, We have Safe streets to school that has Been implemented since 2012 that I am aware of, and as far as I can see there has been nothing done, kids are still walking on the side of busy streets where speed limits have been reduced to 30 mph, but vehicles still travel at 40 to 80 Mph. There is a Fairly new crossing on Military from Bresemann Forest to Spanaway lake, I have witnessed people, instead of stopping, even with the lights flashing and cars stoped, step on the gas and miss pedestrians by inches, with no consequences , we recently had a child and his dogs crossing there, the child did everything right and a driver still hit the child and the dogs, we need to build our community’s around people not vehicles, business should be located where we can safely walk , ride, wheelchair, etc. and vehicles should be routed around the area, that have no business in the area and are only trying to make it to the freeways, what happened to the cross base Hwy? I really don’t know what to do, raised sidewalks,bike lanes, overpass walkways? Regular stop lights like the ones for vehicles? We need to rethink everything around revamping the whole structure of this community to make everyone safe, I have also been witness to a dog being in the crosswalk median on pacific and a vehicle went out of their way to run the dog over it had tire track marks on his upper back. I can go on and on about the deaths and near misses that happen here because of the way things are set up, and the way they are reacted too. So yes, I support this proposal. This Area pays a lot in taxes and we do deserve Not to be overlooked,I want to be-able to walk, to the park, ride to a trail, enjoy all the new things that are coming this way. Without the fear of being ran over, or the fear of my children being ran over, or my pets being ran over, or killed in their own yards because the roads are to close to property’s, roads that have only local purpose that tend to bring drivers who want to race,which puts all our family’s in danger, block those roads for local access, add more roundabouts , speed bumps, we all need to input Ideas, without prejudice.
Mandy Hunn 8/30/22 12:44 PM I support the Vision Zero plan. I want to ensure that we feel safe how ever we travel on our roads.
Ruby Butt 8/30/22 2:02 PM I totally support this proposal. I support the passing of the Vision Zero Resolution.Let’s make it safe for everyone.
Diedre Conant 8/30/22 2:10 PM I am undecided on this proposal. While I fully agree that many things must be done to reduce, if not eliminate these senseless losses of life, I have zero faith in the leadership of Pierce County and their ability to actually address these matters effectively. Unincorporated Pierce County has become nothing but unfettered suburban sprawl. And with all this growth in population, our roads and infrastructure are grossly inadequate to safely meet the neeeds of our residents. All the county cares about is allowing big land development without first ensuring that the infrastructure can support the growth, i.e. the necessary road improvements, emergency services availability, etc. Anyone who has taken a traffic safety course as a prerequisite to obtain a driver's license should know the rules of the road. Obviously, this is not the case. You don't need to waste more tax dollars. Common sense should simply tell you that we need more enforcement by the Sheriff's Department on distracted driving, impaired driving, etc. Will that happen? I doubt it, considering that they are understaffed and already not responding to a litany of other crimes in progress throughout the county. What the council should do, if they really cared about this issue, is involve and engage the community first. Try again with your proposal, where this go around, you invite the citizens of Pierce County to steer the conversation. If this has already happened, I never got the invite from my council member. Enough of the top down decision making and operating in a vacuum. Time to start listening to your constituents and involving more voices from the community at large.