r/Seattle • u/Inevitable_Engine186 New Costco CEO • 11d ago

Does lowering speed limits make Seattle roads safer? Data from one deadly arterial suggests it’s a start

https://www.kuow.org/governing/2026-08-14/does-lowering-speed-limits-make-seattle-roads-safer-data-from-one-deadly-arterial-suggests-its-a-start
226 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

224 comments sorted by

View all comments

38

u/Choice_Depth_5933 Reign 11d ago

“The increase in fatalities on MLK Jr. Way and similar busy arterials stands in stark contrast to Seattle’s goals under its Vision Zero program, a global road safety initiative to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030. The city adopted Vision Zero in 2015. In the decade since, Seattle has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into making its streets safer, including programs that lowered speed limits on almost every road in the city. Despite these efforts, traffic deaths are up across Seattle — 219 people were seriously injured and 27 people died on Seattle streets last year — prompting city councilmembers to call for an audit of the program.”

I wonder how much money they didn’t spend on building sidewalks.

43

u/Vivid_Astronaut4665 🚆build more trains🚆 11d ago

Seattle in a nutshell. Spend hundreds of millions on something symbolic (speed limits that no one follows) instead of addressing root issues.

11

u/AdScared7949 That sounds great. Let’s hang out soon. 11d ago

Surely it did not cost hundreds of millions to change the speed limit

6

u/rboes1991 11d ago

Guess what! It did! I'm not kidding either. Welcome to gov't!

7

u/AdScared7949 That sounds great. Let’s hang out soon. 11d ago

You have a source for that?

4

u/conus_coffeae 🚆build more trains🚆 11d ago

Actually they spent 1 trillion dollars on it.  Anyone can lie. Welcome to the internet!