Friday Roundtable: Wilson Transition Committee Recommendations
A group of transition team members and Mayor Wilson. (Mayor Wilson on Bluesky)Over the past few months, the Wilson Transition Committee has met with thousands of Seattlities to better understand what the residents of Seattle want to see from the Wilson administration. The full report outlines recommendations in eight areas: Housing Affordability & Community Needs, Economic Development & Workers' Rights, Transportation & Environment, Arts, Culture, & Creative Economy, Civic Narrative & Major Initiatives, Standing Up for Our Values, Public Safety, Parks, & Community Wellbeing, and Student & Youth Advisors.
While these different areas are intertwined, it's worth highlighting the transit, mobility, and public access recommendations:
- Expand citywide bus priority lanes.
- Create integrated mobility hubs with user amenities & safe waiting areas, especially near light rail & bus transfer points.
- Align transit investments with equity goals, ensuring access across neighborhoods, regardless of car ownership or income.
- Increase 24-hour bus service
- Expand North-South & East-West connections, including Rainier Valley to Tukwila/Georgetown & Golden Gardens to UW.
The report also mentions a few early wins for each category. For transit, these include:
- Paint bus lanes on Denny.
- Extend Seattle Housing Authority ORCA passes & increase Orca pass programs for nonprofits.
Along with the transit recommendations, the Transition Team has a few recommendations for Vision Zero, Street Safety, & Active Transportation:
- Set 5-year incremental targets for the goals in the Seattle Transportation Plan (Vision Zero, climate, & Vehicle Miles Travelled reduction), & direct SDOT to use them to determine project selection, project budgeting, design, & delivery schedules.
- Prioritize pedestrian, cyclist, & micro-mobility safety through protected lanes, raised intersections, & traffic diverters.
- Ensure equitable distribution of infrastructure upgrades to historically underserved areas, start major Vision Zero projects for SE Seattle including transforming Rainier Ave S & MLK Jr Way S.
- Implement & strengthen neighborhood-level traffic calming programs, including School Streets, Home Zones, traffic diverters, & curb bulb-outs.
These recommendations are a great start for making Seattle a safer, greener, and more efficient city. Unlike their peers in some other cities, Seattle's Mayor does not control the city's buses or trains. King County Metro operates the local bus service and Sound Transit, a regional agency, operates the light rail, commuter rail, and express buses. Outside of a seat on Sound Transit's Board, Wilson cannot directly control either agency.
There are a few ways the Mayor can directly influence transit in Seattle. The first is through transit infrastructure implemented by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). This can include bus lanes, signal priority, and amenities near transit centers. Another key way Mayor Wilson can improve transit is by shaping the Seattle Transit Measure's successor. Per the recommendations, Seattlities want better night-owl service and improved connections east-west connections. These services can be improved with funding from the next STM.
In addition to transit infrastructure and policy, Mayor Wilson can improve transit by reducing the number of cars on Seattle's roads. Projects that improve pedestrian, cyclist, & micro-mobility infrastructure encourage more people to get out of their cars for some (or all) trips. Fewer cars on the roads will reduce traffic related delays for many bus routes and lead to more people taking transit.
This is an open thread.