Dangerous By Design: MLK Way’s Current Conditions

This is part 1 of a 3-part series.

Every time I find myself using Martin Luther King Jr Way S (MLK Way) to travel somewhere, I know I'm in for an adventure. Regardless of the mode of transportation, MLK Way is not an easy street to use. When driving, I have to contend with other people driving 35-40 mph, despite the 25 mph speed limit. When walking, the roar of speeding cars just feet away drowns out conversations with those around me. When I take Link, the traffic lanes act as a moat around each station that force me, and other Link riders, to watch our train depart while we are stuck waiting to cross the street into the station. When I'm on my bicycle, the surface is narrow and bumpy, because I'm on the sidewalk. Despite this, I consider myself lucky as I am not one of the 1,500 people who have been injured or killed on MLK Way since Link opened in 2009.

A northbound 1 Line train on MLK Way near 35th Ave S

Martin Luther King Jr Way S is a key north-south street in Southeast Seattle. It runs through Rainier Valley connecting several neighborhoods between Rainier Beach and Judkins Park. MLK Way is the only street in Seattle to have at-grade light rail running in a median. For 4.2 miles between S Walden St and S Norfolk St, Sound Transit's Link 1 Line trains run in dedicated lanes between two general traffic lanes and the occasional turn lane on either side. This at-grade section has eighteen intersections that allow vehicles and pedestrians to cross the Link tracks and an additional ten intersections that only allow pedestrian crossing. The Link 1 Line (formerly Central Link) began revenue service on July 18, 2009 between Tukwila and downtown Seattle via Rainier Valley. Since then, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has recorded over 2,700 crashes on MLK Way between Rainier Ave S and Boeing Access Rd. These preventable collisions have killed 19 people.

Collision Impact

Each of the 2,772 crashes on MLK Way is a data point for understanding why the road is dangerous. Over 75% of collisions on MLK Way occur between two vehicles. Many of the 2,108 vehicle/vehicle crashes were rear-end or angle collisions, crash types that are more common when a driver is speeding, distracted, or swerving between lanes. Collisions only involving vehicles have injured 1,152 people, seriously injured 34 people, and killed 3 people. Since 2009, MLK Way has seen 140 instances of someone driving their car into one or more people. These crashes have injured 120 people, seriously injured 16 people, and killed 8 people. While less common than vehicle/vehicle crashes, vehicle/pedestrian crashes are much more dangerous for those outside of a car. More people have been killed by someone driving their car than in any other type of crash on MLK Way..

As Link runs at-grade on MLK Way, collisions involving trains have occurred. In addition to being dangerous, these collisions often cause long delays for Link riders across the region. Over the past 16 years, vehicles and trains have collided 117 times. These crashes have caused 57 injuries, 2 serious injuries, and 1 fatality. The data show 6 recorded collisions between Link trains and pedestrians, resulting in 4 fatalities and 1 recorded injury. This is certainly an under count as The Urbanist reported 16 train/pedestrian collisions on MLK Way between 2009 and 2019. We are following up with Sound Transit for confirmation.

South of Rainier Ave, MLK Way does not have any bike infrastructure. Despite this, many people on bikes use the road as it is the flattest and most direct path for many trips in Rainier Valley. Unfortunately, 32 people biking have been hit by a vehicle, resulting in 29 injuries.

A vehicle has driven off the road 156 times since 2009, resulting in one fatality. Regardless of the injury outcome, cars should never be able to drive off the road. As more and more people live, work, and shop along MLK Way, the chance of serious injury or death from a car driving off the road increases every day.In 2022, someone drove their car off the road just north of S Alaska St, near Columbia City station. The car plowed through bushes, bike racks, and a bus stop before destroying a building's facade and flipping over. One person received serious injuries and two other other people were injured in this crash. Fortunately, no one was waiting at the bus stop.

Numerous firetrucks, ambulances, and police cars respond to the upside-car after it drove off MLK Way into a building. A Link train passes by the scene.The broken bench and bike racks at the bus stop.The building's insulation shown after the crash.

Since Link began service in 2009, 1,493 people have been injured, 76 others have sustained serious injuries, and 19 people have been killed on MLK Way between Rainier Ave and Boeing Access Rd. Most of the 19 fatalities are pedestrians who were hit by a vehicle or a train. People in cars tend to fair better in a collision, but experience more crashes than any other road user. These data make it clear that MLK Way is not safe for anyone, regardless of how they get around.

Collision Themes

Almost all crashes on MLK Way can be traced back to vehicle speeding, at-grade space conflicts, or both. In it's current form, MLK Way is designed for cars traveling at 35 mph. This means it has few curves and wide lanes. Unsurprisingly, people regularly drive at or above 35mph, despite the 25mph speed limit. In March 2025, SDOT measured vehicle speed on MLK Way near S Brandon St. The average speed recorded was 31 mph. About 25% of vehicles traveled above 35 mph and the top speed recorded was 88 mph. Speeding on MLK Way is not a new issue. Less than three weeks after Link opened, a man was killed on MLK Way after being thrown from a motorcycle. The initial report noted that speed may have been a factor".

The other common crash root cause is what I'm calling at-grade space conflicts". Essentially, two people wanted to be in the same place at the same time. This can occur when someone driving makes a left turn during a red light and drives into a Link train. It can also occur when someone is crossing MLK Way against the walk signal to catch a train and a car drives into them. The hundreds of collisions in this group prove that the current street design is insufficient for keeping all road users safe.

One possible cause for at-grade space conflicts is people crossing against the traffic signal to catch a Link train. Between the 4-5 traffic and turn lanes, 2 tracks, and varying buffer space, MLK Way is a wide road (up to 142ft wide at S Alaska St). Due to the lack of halfway crossing signals, a single walk signal can take up to 45 seconds. This lengthens the rest of the signal times and results in the walk signal only running once every few minutes. The infrequent walk signals results in some people forced to watch their train arrive and depart the station while they were stuck waiting to cross halfway to the station. Unsurprisingly, many people do not wait for the signal to cross.

Cross section diagram of MLK Way at Graham St facing north.Why This Matters

It is clear from the data that the majority of crashes occur between two cars. This is not too surprising as cars are statistically the most dangerous form of everyday transportation. But if this is an issue with cars, why should readers of the Seattle Transit Blog care? First and foremost, dangerous streets are bad for everyone in the community. The crash data show that drivers have hit just about every type of object they could on and off MLK Way. This includes people on bikes, buildings, and people walking to a Link station or bus stop. If Link stations are dangerous to access, fewer people will take the train. Second, cars on MLK often cause delays across the Link system. This is most obvious when a car hits a Link train, as has happened 117 times. These crashes can grind all Link trains to a halt for several hours. Link trains can also been delayed by car crashes that do not involve a train, such as when cars crash in an intersection on the tracks or when a car enters the tracks after a crash. On August 29, 2025, the 1 Line was delayed after a fatal car/car/pedestrian crash on MLK Way. The crash caused one of the cars to end up on the tracks, blocking trains for 45 minutes.

A tow truck pulls a car out of a garden after it drove through the garden and into the apartment at MLK Way & S Genesee St (2022).

This is the first article in our series on MLK Way. Tomorrow's article will discuss potential improvements to reduce serious injuries and fatalities on the road. On Wednesday, candidates running for election will share their perspectives on what, if anything, should be done to make MLK Way safer for everyone.

The data used for this report is retrieved from SDOT's Crash Analysis Data. The area of focus is MLK Way between Rainier Ave S and Boeing Access Road, excluding the intersections with those roads.