Road safety summit

This coming Monday, Oct. 24, the City of Seattle Mayor’s Office is holding its first of three Road Safety Summit public forums from 6 to 8 p.m. in City Hall’s Bertha Knight Landes room.  Seattle residents, local agencies, and community transportation leaders have been asked to attend so we can all talk openly about how to make our roads safer for everybody.

The Road Safety Summit was formed after three cyclists were killed this last summer in Seattle.  Michael Wang and Robert Townsend were both hit by cars while riding safely and legally.  A third cyclist, Brian Fairbrother, died after crashing on a poorly designed bike path.

These losses are unacceptable and it’s time to do something serious about it.  The Mayor’s Office has stepped up and called for this summit, and it’s up to us to contribute ideas, speak honestly, and listen to each other about what we need from our fellow travelers to be safe on the road.  The summit centers around three main questions.  A summit working group will make recommendations at the end of the three public forums.

As we said at our September press conference, we can – and must – do better.  That means everybody.  Though cyclists and pedestrians are the most vulnerable, more people die in car on car collisions than any other type of roadway fatality.  As many of us know, making the streets safer for bikes makes them safer for all road users—so bicycle infrastructure is of paramount importance in the bigger picture.

Let’s work together to keep our community safer on the road and get to the goal of zero traffic fatalities.  Join us at the Road Safety Summit next Monday and let the Mayor’s Office and your neighbors know where you stand.

Can’t make the first public forum?  There are two more identical meetings: one Nov. 15 at the Northgate Community Center, and one Nov. 21 at the Southwest Community Center. RSVP for one of these public forums.

More information about the Road Safety Summit can be found here.

Share this post