Puget Sound Regional Council is Seeking Public Comment on the Draft Regional Safety Action Plan
The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) has released a draft Regional Safety Action Plan to help address the alarming increase in serious injuries and deaths on our roadways. The public comment period on the draft will run through February 14, 2025.
The plan is based on a comprehensive analysis of crash data across the central Puget Sound region and has identified these key findings:
- Deaths on the region’s roadways have nearly doubled in the last decade.
- Bicycles and pedestrians represent nearly half of the increase in deaths.
- Crashes are happening everywhere, as much in the rural areas as larger cities.
- Native American and Alaskan Native community members are seven times more likely to die in crashes than white residents.
The draft Regional Safety Action Plan is the result of a multi-year effort to improve traffic safety in the central Puget Sound region. The goals of the plan are to:
- Foster a regional culture of safety through increased awareness and focus on a Safe System Approach to protect vulnerable roadway users.
- Identify safety issues and proven counter measures, strategies, and tools.
- Reflect extensive research, analysis and public engagement.
- Complement the development of local safety action plans, 16 of which are included in the region’s two federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grants.
- Inform PSRC’s competitive project selection processes and future Regional Transportation Plans.
How to comment:
- Engagement Hub
- US Mail: Puget Sound Regional Council, ATTN: Safety Plan
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 500,
Seattle, WA 98101 - Email: trafficsafety@psrc.org
- Flyer
PSRC spoke to residents around the region at community events, on-on-one interviews and community meetings to learn about safety concerns and how to address them in the action plan. An additional 1,250 people gave us feedback at our online engagement hub. We are now seeking additional public comments on the draft plan.
Development of a Regional Safety Action Plan was identified as an action item in the Regional Transportation Plan and funded primarily by two Safe Streets and Roads for All grants, which brought $7.7 million to the region from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The plan is expected to be adopted by PSRC’s General Assembly in May 2025.
What Regional Leaders Are Saying:
Josh Brown, PSRC Executive Director
“Addressing traffic safety is of paramount importance. We’ve seen traffic deaths and serious injuries double in the region over the last decade. We need to take action to protect our loved ones. This plan can help turn things around.”
Becky Erickson, PSRC President and Mayor of Poulsbo
“The data shows that crashes are happening just as often in rural areas across the region. This isn’t just a big city problem, but the plan brings those same resources to the smaller cities and towns to affect change. I am happy that PSRC brought this to the region’s attention.”
Dana Ralph, PSRC Transportation Policy Board Chair and Mayor of Kent
“We spoke with people all over the region while developing this plan. Many said they are concerned about distracted driving and speeding. Addressing these behaviors and building a system that is safe for all and protects our vulnerable users is critical. This plan emphasizes those goals, and so do we when we put our transportation dollars to work.”
