Seattle Transportation Plan

In nearly two years of community outreach to develop the draft STP, we focused on amplifying the voices of individuals who are often marginalized in government planning. This includes those who are Black, Indigenous, or part of a community of color; individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+; people living in poverty; immigrant communities and non-English speakers; young people; older adults; and people with disabilities.

Here's what we did:

• We connected with thousands of people through outreach events in various locations such as local grocery stores, libraries, farmer's markets, community meetings, festivals, and underserved neighborhoods.
• We collaborated with Department of Neighborhoods Community Liaisons (CLs) to expand and enhance our engagement processes.
• We established relationships with community-based organizations and supported their engagement efforts, including listening sessions, meetings, events, field trips, and one-on-one interviews.
• We distributed yard signs, posters, and print ads across Seattle.
• We kept the community informed by sharing engagement opportunities and updates on the dynamic Seattle Transportation Plan Online Engagement Hub.
• And much more.

Here's what we learned: 

Phase 1 - 

Phase 1 focused on your transportation needs and priorities, which helped us develop our collective vision for the future of Seattle’s transportation system. Our Phase 1 Engagement Report details the engagement that ran from May through August 2022 and outlines the key takeaways that will help us co‑create the plan with the communities of Seattle. 

Phase 2 - 

During Phase 2, we shared what we heard from you during Phase 1 and showed how your input is guiding the plan’s vision, goals, and objectives. We also asked you to share how you want to get around in the future, what actions you would like us to take, and what you’d like to see in our draft transportation maps. 

Our Phase 2 Engagement Summary Report details the engagement that ran from September 2022 through February 2023. Your input was used to guide the development of the draft STP and to refine the draft network maps. 

Phase 3 - 

In fall 2023, we asked for public feedback on the draft Seattle Transportation Plan.  

This included citywide online engagement, attending in-person events, and working with Department of Neighborhood’s Community Liaisons to conduct focused outreach to the following communities: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and Other People of Color), low-income, immigrant and refugee, aging adults, women, people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, and people living with disabilities.  

For more information see: Phase 3 Engagement Summary

Many thanks to the community-based organizations (CBOs) who partnered with us to engage with their communities as trusted community fixtures and leaders! 

These CBOs work closely with the communities they serve, often providing educational and cultural services, gathering spaces, fostering community connections, and advocating on their behalf. 

• Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance
  • Engagement Report 

• Duwamish Valley Sustainability Association
  • Engagement Report

• Estelita's Library
  • Engagement Report

• Khmer Community of Seattle King County (KCSKC), in partnership with Noio Pathways and KIMYUNITY
  • Engagement Report

• Central Area Collaborative
• Smash the Box
• Legacy of Equality Leadership and Organizing 

Lead with Safety

Prioritize safety for travelers in Seattle. Our goal is to have no serious injuries or fatal crashes. Key actions include:

• Reduce vehicle speeding to make our streets safer.
• Focus safety investments where serious crashes happen or are likely to happen. 

Transportation Justice is Central

Work with the community to address transportation-related inequities. Key actions include: 

• Center the voices of communities of color and underrepresented groups in planning and decision-making.
• Address inequities by prioritizing investments for affected communities. 

Climate Action

Respond to climate change with innovation and a climate justice foundation. Key actions include: 

• Improve neighborhood air quality and health by promoting clean, sustainable travel options.
• Green city streets with landscaping and trees to handle the changing climate better. 

Connect People and Goods

Provide reliable and affordable travel options to help people and goods get where they need to go. Key actions include: 

• Create seamless travel connections.
• Make walking, biking, and rolling more convenient and enjoyable, especially for short trips. 

Streets for People, Places we Love

Reimagine city streets as inviting places to spend time and play. Key actions include: 

• Reallocate street space to prioritize people and create enjoyable places that also facilitate goods delivery and mobility.
• Create welcoming community and mobility hubs. 

Streets that Work, Today and in the Future

Improve city transportation infrastructure and prepare it for the future. Key actions include: 

• Maintain our streets, sidewalks, and bridges, incorporating planned safety and network improvements.
• Reduce neighborhood disparities in the quality of streets, sidewalks, public spaces, and bridges. 

We want to empower people to get where they need to go without owning a car.  Transit is a low-cost and sustainable travel option.  

Our goals for the Transit Element:

• Work with King County Metro to deliver on SDOT's Frequent Transit Network service levels.
• Focus on building a reliable network of bus lanes that run all day, every day.
• Create and improve community and mobility hubs.
• Plan better access to current and future light rail stations.
• Improve east-west travel between neighborhoods and destinations . 

We want to support the local economy through reliable and safe freight movement, while making sure we monitor impacts on local neighborhoods and businesses. 

Our goals for the Freight and Urban Goods Element:

• Work with freight and rail partners to plan and build better transportation infrastructure in manufacturing and industrial centers (MICs).
• Make sure people and goods can move easily to key destinations, with a focus on east-west routes.
• Explore the use of special freight and bus lanes.
• Support safe and reliable access through employment centers and MICs for BIPOC, low-income, and displaced workers, using strategies like more late-night transit services and well-lit overnight truck parking.
• Add more loading zones for commercial vehicles to reduce the time drivers spend searching for parking. 
   

We imagine a Seattle where everyone can ride bikes and electric-powered devices like e-scooters as part of daily life. 

Our goals for the Bicycle and E-Mobility Element:

• Expand the bike network to meet the needs of everyone, no matter their age or ability.
• Make sure every public school has a safe bike route.
• Help vulnerable community members who walk, bike, and use mobility devices.
• Support BIPOC-led organizations to promote active transportation.
• Create a citywide parking program for bikes, scooters, and e-mobility devices, focusing on community and mobility hubs.
• Adapt streets for new mobility devices like cargo bikes, e-scooters, and small electric vehicles . 

A walkable city can improve health, sense of community, our environment, and our local economy.

Our goals for the Pedestrian Element:

• Add and improve the safety of sidewalks, walkways, and shared streets .
• Create more street crossings and improve current ones to make them safer for people walking.
• Make Seattle more accessible with curb ramps, accessible signals, parking, and transit stops.
• Explore a cost-sharing sidewalk repair program that helps low-income property owners. 

Streets are for more than just getting around, they should also be places to enjoy and explore. Our vision is that well-designed streets and public spaces will strengthen our communities.  

Our goals for the People Streets and Public Spaces Element:

• Work with communities to create plans for People Streets and Public Spaces, focusing on underinvested areas.
• Partner with communities to develop low-emission neighborhoods for cleaner air and safer streets.
• Expand our pedestrian wayfinding program with community and regional partners, especially at transit stations.
• Prioritize tree planting and care in historically under-invested areas to increase tree coverage citywide. 

We want to encourage walking, biking, and rolling while continuing to improve safety for people who travel in vehicles, as well as people traveling outside of a vehicle that share the road with people driving.  

Our goals for the Vehicle Element:

• Modernize city streets by making safety and other improvements that promote sustainable transportation alongside maintenance work.  
• Reallocate streets and curb space so vehicles can move efficiently and improve comfort for people who walk, bike, roll, and use public transit.
• Switch to a 100% zero-emissions city vehicle fleet by 2030.
• Design streets that naturally encourage safe driving and reduce the need for enforcement.
• Update how we evaluate street projects to focus on reducing solo driving, lowering vehicle miles traveled, and increasing healthy, sustainable travel. 

We support new travel options like on-demand transit, e-bikes, shared scooters, and electric vehicles to make travel safer, easier, and more sustainable. 

Our goals for the New and Emerging Mobility Element are:

• Make sure new transportation technologies meet community values like safety, fairness, and climate response.
• Use data to manage travel flows, inform the public, and promote efficient travel.
• Develop policies for connected and self-driving cars, prioritizing safety.
• Promote shifts to electric shared mobility and freight vehicles by providing charging stations and incentives.
• Make travel connections smoother, especially when connecting to transit. 

We recognize that the curb is a busy public space with diverse uses. We are working on new ways to prioritize and balance competing needs. 

Our goals for the Curbside Management Element are:

• Recognize that the curb supports essential functions like mobility, access for people and businesses, and parking.
• Develop ways to decide which needs and uses to prioritize in different places.
• Prioritize curb uses to support sustainable travel options and the delivery of goods and services over private car storage.
• Expand the areas for paid on-street parking and increase rates to encourage cheaper and less polluting travel options.
• Keep up-to-date records of physical assets like curbs, loading zones, and bike/scooter parking spots.