Youth Transportation Summit: Transportation Safety 2026
2026 Youth Summit Participants writing thoughts and comments about transportation safety in their own communities during the UW SPH interactive feedback activity
What is the Youth Transportation Summit?
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) hosted our third annual Youth Transportation Summit on April 2025! This year’s Summit was focused on transportation safety. Summit participants ages 14 - 22:
- Learned about regional transportation safety efforts.
- Had the opportunity to share personal transportation safety concerns and shared ideas on how to make it safer to get around their communities.
- Spoke to and heard from regional transportation safety professionals and City leadership engaged in the topic.
This one-day event featured a keynote from Celeste Gilman, from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), and three interactive breakout sessions focused on SDOT’s current work to make our streets and right-of-way safer for all. Speakers from SDOT’s Safe Routes to School team, the Downtown Activation Team, and Vision Zero led workshops where participants learned about how safety shows up in different spaces and projects and what they can do to make their communities safer.
Following a free lunch, attendees had the opportunity to provide feedback to SDOT on personal transportation safety concerns. Feedback on transportation safety was collected through an interactive activity led by the University of Washington School of Public Health Honors (UW SPH) students. Participants dove deeper into discussions about what makes them feel safe in the areas they spend the most time in, transportation safety concerns, and potential solutions. The UW SPH students collaborated with SDOT to create an infographic displaying the themes and takeaways from Summit participant discussion. The infographic can be seen below. Finally, the day ended with a panel of transportation safety professionals and community leaders that highlighted regional transportation safety efforts. SDOT will use Youth Summit participant feedback to guide and inform future transportation safety work and TAP will share updates through the TAP newsletter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Check out our FAQs! If you still have questions, please reach out at DOT_TAP@seattle.gov.
Background
In 2023 and 2025, SDOT hosted an annual Youth Transportation Summit. Each Summit is a dynamic event designed to empower young people to shape the future of their city. The Summit provides a unique platform for youth to collaborate, innovate, and directly influence transportation projects and public spaces in Seattle. Participants engage in interactive workshops, learn about current SDOT initiatives, and provide valuable feedback on how to create a more accessible, equitable, and sustainable urban environment. The Summits have been funded by the Seattle Transit Measure.
2025 Summit
The 2025 Summit occurred April 26, 2025 at The Vera Project. The goal of the 2025 Summit was to teach young people ages 12-19 about key SDOT projects; specifically, how SDOT projects are created and how we work with community to make them a reality. The Summit featured opportunities for participants to brainstorm and share ideas with SDOT staff about their ideas to improve transportation in their communities.
2023 Summit
The 2023 Summit occurred on December 9, 2023 at the Westin Seattle. The 2023 Summit was brought to life as part of Mayor Harrell’s 2022 One Seattle Transportation and Climate Justice Executive Order. The Summit was open for all young people ages 14-24 and focused on the creation of a Youth Climate and Transportation Action Plan that was presented to Mayor Harrell in January 2024.
2023 Youth Summit Participants engaging in an interactive activity.
2023 Youth Summit Participants posing for a photo before presenting Climate Action Plan to Mayor Harrell and other mayoral office staff.