CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to sidewalk construction and pedestrian mobility improvements; adding a new Section 15.70.040 to the Seattle Municipal Code.
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WHEREAS, the 2023 Adopted Budget states that the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) maintains 3,944 lane-miles of arterial and non-arterial streets, compared to 2,293 miles of sidewalks; and
WHEREAS, SDOT's Sidewalk Accessibility Guide notes that approximately 24 percent (11,000 blocks) of Seattle streets are missing sidewalks; and
WHEREAS, at the current annual rate of new sidewalk construction (approximately 27 blocks per year over the course of the Move Seattle levy), it will take 407 years before all of Seattle streets have sidewalks; and
WHEREAS, the Seattle Department of Transportation's (SDOT's) 2018 sidewalk assessment identified 154,600 instances of conditions impacting pedestrians including sidewalk uplifts, cracking, settling, cross slope issues, fixed obstructions, vegetation obstructions, and vertical obstructions; and
WHEREAS, without usable sidewalks, disabled non-drivers are limited in their sphere of mobility; and
WHEREAS, when public transportation is inconvenient or unsafe to access due to a lack of sidewalks, non-drivers must either put themselves in unsafe situations, spend an unreasonable amount on rideshare services, an excess amount of time following circuitous routes that offer moderately more safety, or choose to stay home altogether unless leaving is an absolute necessity; and
WHEREAS, SDOT's Vision Zero Top-to-Bottom Review (July 28, 2023) noted that pedestrian fatalities have trended up since 2013, with 20 pedestrian fatalities recorded in 2021; and
WHEREAS, having safe places for people to walk and roll is an important step in addressing our current epidemic of injuries and death occurring when people walking, or rolling interact with people driving motor vehicles; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORD...
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