rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/save8thcom-stop-undermining-sdots-visionzero?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-save8thcom-stop-undermining-sdots-visionzero' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Fix8th.com https://actionnetwork.org/groups/wwwsave8thcom https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/letters/photos/000/453/637/normal/Save8th_mid.gif 30 pedestrians / joggers / cyclists die every year in Seattle due to inattentive drivers and poorly designed roads. SDOT's VisionZero pledged to drop that number to 0 by 2030 but we are nowhere in sight of reaching that goal. This isn't SDOT's fault despite what others might have you think - the department has been repeatedly pressured by special interests influencing our public infrastructure. Seattle teacher Christian Salyer, was struck and killed by a recycling truck at 12th Avenue and Yesler Way on June 5th. His death spotlighted a decision by city officials to scale back and shelve the planned protected bike lane where he was killed. Help us call on Mayor Wilson to put an end to special interests undermining our public infrastructure. Deliver 8th Avenue as planned! Empower SDOT - break the cycle of officials undermining VisionZero Deaths in Ballard within 18 Months 2 Days Ago (August 11, 2026): Pedestrian (E-Scooter) Killed at 24th Avenue NW / 85th October 22, 2025: Pedestrian Killed at 15th Avenue NW / 73rd February 1, 2025: Pedestrian Killed at 15th Avenue NW / Market [Video] August 19, 2025: Near Pedestrian Fatality at 8th Avenue NW / 70th Fix8th.com rallied over 2000 Ballard residents to make once in a generation enhancements to it's pedestrian/cyclist/car crossing safety. In 2025 SDOT gave us a plan that you can see below, that promised us 14 sets of speed cushions. In April 2026 SDOT let us know that this was reduced to 11 in its final approved design. Now those plans were cut further to only 4 sets of speed cushions after closed door conversations excluding the public - withholding the public's right to comment on 8th Avenue's future and ignoring the people's voice. Speed Cushions Don't kill people... cars kill people Are one of the most cost effective means of preventing vehicular related pedestrian deaths. SDOT knows how to design roads... if you let them We can't have speed cushions because of Emergency Vehicles... Do you know what freight trucks look a lot like? Emergency Vehicles A fallacy used to prevent life saving measures like speed cushions from ever breaking ground is to claim they'd prevent emergency vehicles from accessing people in crisis. This strategy has been used to convince the public not delivering VisionZero improvements is somehow doing residents a favor. This is simply not true - SDOT knows how to design roads and factors things like emergency vehicle access into their designs when they come up with a proposal. Example: District 4 - Maritza Rivera Newsletter - April 3, 2026 "As I said in other newsletters, I have been trying to work on traffic calming along Sand Point Way. The prior Department Director, who is no longer with the City, had committed to traffic calming there. We are now working with the new director and have impressed upon her the continued need for this work. Unfortunately, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) continues to inform us that some calming measures are problematic because Sand Point Way is a truck route and speed pads may be an issue for emergency vehicles." Seattle Official's History of Undermining VisionZero "Harrell Administration Cancels Planned Lake Washington Boulevard Safety Upgrades" (The Urbanist, July 2025) – Details the initial halting of the speed cushions and intersection redesigns. "Lake Washington Boulevard Safety Upgrades Fully Designed Before Mayor Pulled Plug" (The Urbanist, October 2025) – Exposes internal emails confirming the Mayor's office directly intervened to scale the fully-designed project back. "Op-Ed: Latest Hit-and-Run Shows Harrell's Failure on Lake Washington Boulevard Safety" (The Urbanist, June 2025) – Outlines the fallout from the June 15 crash and the missing stop sign. "Mayor Wilson Joins Seattle's Inaugural Summer Bicycle Parade" (The Spectator, June 2026) – Covers Mayor Wilson's implementation of the expanded Bicycle Weekends and the ensuing neighborhood protests. https://actionnetwork.org/letters/save8thcom-stop-undermining-sdots-visionzero