‘Too many people are dying’: Seattle Councilmember Rob Saka lays out his proposed safer streets plan

Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka joined “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio to lay out his proposed Seattle SAFER Streets Act, a three-part legislative package aimed at putting the city’s Vision Zero goals into law and accelerating safety improvements on Seattle streets.

“Too many people are dying on our roads in the city,” Saka said. “About 10-plus years ago, our city signed on to a very ambitious goal to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries on our roads in Seattle by the year 2030. For me personally, I’m not into signing up for lofty, ambitious goals without putting any accountability behind it.”

The SAFER Streets Act, which stands for Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Equitable, and Responsive, is built around five priorities: making safety part of the transportation system, requiring proven safety measures, protecting vulnerable road users through city contracting power, empowering Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) engineers to act more quickly, and improving post-fatality crash response, according to a news release from Saka’s office.

Saka said the legislation would establish a 72-hour response standard after fatal crashes and give the chief traffic engineer greater authority to make urgent safety changes.

“Administrative policies change, elected leaders change, but enshrining it in law and doing so now better positions us to deliver on these commitments,” Saka said.

KIRO hosts push Saka on no-turn-on-red frustrations

Before diving into the legislation, fill-in hosts Angela Poe Russell and Jim Dever pressed Saka on a sore point for Seattle drivers: the city’s no-turn-on-red restrictions.

“Can we get a green arrow when we go to turn right?” Russell asked.

Saka sidestepped the specifics, noting he is “not a traffic engineer” and that no-turn-on-red signals are part of a national playbook of proven safety countermeasures.

“A lot of that is expertise that the Seattle Department of Transportation has and executes based off of national best practices,” Saka said.

Russell urged Saka to hear from drivers, not just engineers.

“Make sure that you actually hear from people who drive as well,” Russell said.

Dever acknowledged the tension but said the effort is worth supporting.

“You have a lot of grumpy drivers you’re going to have to convince that this is the way to go,” Dever said. “I certainly wish you all the luck, because I think our streets need to be shared more equitably.”

Saka honors traffic victims, points to Hoboken as proof it can work

Saka invoked the names of several traffic victims to underscore the urgency of the legislation, including Meredy Bonadia, who was killed while riding her bike in West Seattle in June, and Steve Holzman, who died while cycling in West Seattle in December 2023.

He also pointed to Hoboken, New Jersey, which has gone years without a traffic fatality or serious injury.

“It is possible,” Saka said.

The SAFER Streets Act has not yet been finalized. Saka’s office said the package is expected to be completed by Friday, Aug. 21, with a briefing scheduled before the Transportation, Waterfront and Seattle Center Committee on Thursday, according to KOMO.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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