The Lack of Pedestrian Safety on Aurora Ave. N

There have been six pedestrian deaths on Aurora Ave. N this year.  In past years various efforts and projects have tried to improve safety, but Aurora is still an unsafe place for pedestrians.  

A recent article in The Urbanist, titled We Must Design Aurora Avenue to Put Safety First, calls for action to improve Safety.  Mayor Durkan’s call for improvements in traffic safety may be an opportunity to focus on Aurora. Below is the first paragraph of the article in the Urbanist.

When a pedestrian is struck and killed in your neighborhood you are at a loss for words. When it has happened five times in a calendar year, you are in a crisis. Safety for pedestrians along Aurora Avenue is out of control. Seattle residents want to fix it, but the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has said they don’t have the budget. And even with Mayor Jenny Durkan’s announcement of a Vision Zero initiative, SDOT said it will begin developing an Aurora Avenue redesign plan… starting in 2021. Not exactly a rapid timeline.