Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has recently positioned himself as an advocate for multimodal transportation, highlighting a decrease in traffic fatalities.
But critics argue that his claims, made at several candidate forums, rely on outdated data and ignore the broader challenges facing the city’s transportation landscape.
Facing pressure in his re-election campaign from Transit Riders Union founder Katie Wilson—with whom he experienced a surprising primary defeat—Harrell is increasingly focusing on transportation as a crucial topic for voters.
At a recent climate forum at the Bitter Lake Community Center, backed by organizations like the Cascade Bicycle Club and Transportation Choices Coalition, Harrell touted the $1.55 billion transportation levy approved by voters last fall as one of his major achievements.
“When I inherited the job and I won the job, we still lived in a city by which cars are fighting with bikes and bikes are perhaps competing with transit,” he told attendees.
His assertion aimed to demonstrate a shift towards a more cohesive approach to transportation in Seattle, emphasizing investments in safety, reliability, and connectivity.
However, while Harrell has framed the transportation levy as a success, it’s essential to note that it was initially set lower at $1.35 billion before being increased following advocacy from transportation supporters who pushed for a more ambitious $1.7 billion plan.
While the plan includes funding for sidewalks, transit, and bike projects, concrete goals remain sparse, with most expenditures focused on road maintenance.
Harrell claimed, “We put over $430 million for these types of safety mechanisms,” and he expressed pride in the lowered number of pedestrian deaths, stating the count dropped to below ten, a significant decline from the 20 pedestrian deaths in 2021.
However, while studies indicated some reduction in pedestrian fatalities during his tenure, the overall picture is more complicated.
Initial reports for 2024 did suggest lower pedestrian deaths, though this later revised count rose to 11 fatalities.
For 2025, Seattle has already witnessed 15 pedestrian deaths with months still remaining in the year, indicating a troubling trend.
Furthermore, despite the alleged progress on pedestrian safety, 2024 marked the deadliest year for traffic overall in Seattle since 2006, with 32 fatalities from various forms of transportation, including cars, motorcycles, and bicycles.
Among the deaths recorded was Chandler Gayton, who worked as a strategic public safety advisor in Harrell’s office before losing his life in a motorcycle accident.
In total, traffic fatalities have increased by 13.5% since the beginning of Harrell’s administration compared to the four years under his predecessor, Jenny Durkan, contradicting his assertions of success in reducing danger on the roads.
During his time in office, many of the safer street initiatives he emphasized were continuations of programs established prior to his administration.
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) worked to deliver projects under the 2015 Move Seattle Levy, which set ambitious milestones to enhance bike facilities and Safe Routes to School upgrades.
One noteworthy new initiative during Harrell’s term includes no-right-on-red policies for street improvements, aimed at enhancing safety as per Vision Zero strategies.
Harrell’s commitment to safety was mirrored in his appointment of Greg Spotts from Los Angeles as the new SDOT Director in 2022.
Spotts, upon joining, focused heavily on the Vision Zero initiative, particularly following the severe traffic fatalities occurring in 2021.
His administration began with a comprehensive review of the Vision Zero program, which ultimately received mixed feedback from the community and advocacy groups for being repetitive and vague in its recommendations.
While a noteworthy aspect of the review was the elevation of safety concerns within SDOT’s operational hierarchy, it raised eyebrows regarding the ongoing commitment to effective safety measures.
While identified as a Chief Transportation Safety Officer, Venu Nemani has since taken on additional responsibilities that may dilute the focus on safety initiatives.
Following Spotts’ abrupt resignation in early 2024, Interim SDOT Director Adiam Emery has confronted criticism over discord with transportation advocates and managing key safety projects.
Topics of contention have included potential changes on dangerous roads, with calls for the city to reduce vehicle speed limits.
Transportation advocacy groups, including Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, have emphasized the need to redesign hazardous streets to enhance safety, which remains a significant challenge under the current administration.
The new transportation levy, while promising to redesign several high-injury corridors, still sees many projects in preliminary planning stages, raising concerns about implementation and effectiveness.
The efficacy of Harrell’s approaches will continue to be scrutinized as 2025 approaches and newer data on traffic collisions emerges.
While Seattle has some hope with a reported statewide decrease in traffic fatalities, Harrell’s messaging on transportation safety remains at odds with the actual outcomes observed over the span of his term.
As the re-election campaign unfolds, Harrell’s legacy concerning Seattle’s street safety might take years to correctly assess and analyze.
image source from：theurbanist
