[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6316089,"mediaKeyId","2377743-27709785559bcc58dd6293d3fd73059e","parentId",2377743,"title","Ballard residents urge Seattle to reroute Burke-Gilman ‘missing link’ away from Leary Avenue","audioSeconds",627,"startMs",815000,"endMs",1442000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2377743-27709785559bcc58dd6293d3fd73059e&start=815&end=1442","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2377743-27709785559bcc58dd6293d3fd73059e/thumbnail_815000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6316089/Seattle/King-County/Washington/Ballard-residents-urge-Seattle-to-reroute-Burke-Gilman-missing-link-away-from-Leary-Avenue","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316089-7204dfe7283f266d2af0d739ef723f27/orig.mp4?Expires=1773566372&Signature=U3T6Sj6-pHKEPVRrkm4OfHSZ2M4ExpM06YLXKKtxT6iTTq~FeiHacqC3eV8m~lX7RAvH0tHecrSsqQcWA5boGTZ53TkVyQXZfY-zGF7fg3WMHZmPfvIDG7XpaDnmD8RlmTidA2r1hUEneAUCz4Duwl1A3zyEw2N6R0VbaD~l5--BCQ-eaQM-eNGMSedGclxTtCTtAyz3ZRIjRWz8TCDOcQavqPFMQIQ2h-9dsTqtwOIob5sDs7L0gDIEYHL7eniSWioRYLwffi5tZKnmd8wtiW6xetsH3gUizb8H4bCY6RhbBhIS2wosSr5dbiekIPbOJefXmvvNiVawLkNDdgd4uA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Seattle City, WA","date","2025-02-18T21:21:29Z","article","Residents and business owners in Ballard pressed the Seattle City Council Transportation Committee on Feb. 8 to reconsider routing the Burke-Gilman Trail “missing link” along Leary Avenue, arguing the Leary route would remove mature trees, reduce parking, increase congestion and pose safety risks for older community members.

Why it matters: Multiple speakers said the proposed Leary Avenue alignment would harm seniors, small businesses and the local tree canopy and urged the city to instead complete the trail on Shilshole/Chilshoe Avenue or other alternatives where fewer trees would be removed and less parking disrupted.

Janice Stamm, who identified herself as co-chair of the Missing Link Task Force and a legally blind resident of Ballard Landmark senior housing, told the committee she does not want an “83-year-old grandmother” struck outside her home and urged officials to “look for an alternative to the bike trail on Leary Avenue.”

Other callers described near-miss incidents and mobility concerns. Ryan Davis, a Ballard Landmark resident, said a person on a scooter “appeared out of nowhere” and that many residents are in their 80s and do not drive. “Adding a multiuse bike trail would not make safety first on Leary,” Davis said, endorsing an alternative on Shilshole.

Business owners and residents raised environmental and economic concerns. Megan (surname recorded as Twitch) said the project would remove about 92 mature trees over 1.4 miles and make deliveries and parking “very difficult” for neighborhood businesses. Janet Eastman and Mary Jean Jones, both Ballard Landmark residents, repeated the claim that Leary would remove many mature trees while Shilshole would require far fewer removals.

Advocates for completing the trail on the alternative route said Shilshole Avenue is wider and will limit tree removal and sidewalk impacts. Maxine Shiffman said the city shifted $20 million in levy funds in 2024 toward completing a missing-link route on Shilshole rather than on Leary, and asked the council to finish the work “where it belongs.”

A mix of other public commenters urged the city to consider safety upgrades more broadly, with Seattle Neighborhood Greenways representatives supporting SDOT safety projects citywide while urging careful siting of the missing-link segment. Cascade Bicycle Club and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways speakers voiced support for building safe bike and sidewalk infrastructure elsewhere in the city and for accelerating Vision Zero and sidewalk work.

What the committee heard about specifics: Speakers made several quantitative claims during public comment: they said the Ballard Landmark building serves about 150 residents with an average age of 83; that the Leary alignment would remove approximately 92 mature trees over 1.4 miles; and that a vehicle lane reduction on Market/Leary has already reduced motor lanes from four to two in places. These figures were asserted by commenters and reflect their perspective and material presented to the committee; the committee did not provide independent verification during the meeting.

Committee response and next steps: Chair Rob Sacca noted the Leary delivery plan was the committee’s second agenda item and said the committee would hear the SDOT delivery plan in a later meeting; the discussion of the missing link took place during the public-comment portion of the Feb. 8 meeting. No council action or vote on the route was taken during the session. Several council members thanked commenters and noted the project remains under SDOT review and that environmental review and design work remain ongoing.

Speakers and materials submitted during and after the meeting may be included in the formal file for the Leary Delivery Plan when SDOT presents further details to the committee.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Seattle City Council Transportation Committee 2/18/2025","oneSentenceSummary","During public comment at the Transportation Committee on Feb. 8, several Ballard residents and business owners asked the council and SDOT to move the Burke-Gilman Trail missing link off Leary Avenue and onto Shilshole/Chilshoe alternatives, citing safety for seniors, loss of mature trees and impacts to businesses and parking.","taxTitle","Seattle, King County, Washington","taxId",2543,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6316094,"Seattle committee hears regionwide push to restore order on buses and trains after driver killing",8055,79000,8134000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2377743-27709785559bcc58dd6293d3fd73059e&start=79&end=8134","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2377743-27709785559bcc58dd6293d3fd73059e/thumbnail_79000.jpg","/articles/6316094/Seattle/King-County/Washington/Seattle-committee-hears-regionwide-push-to-restore-order-on-buses-and-trains-after-driver-killing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316094-b53bf9e34fb593f7a57db46701ada0e2/orig.mp4?Expires=1773566372&Signature=SLN3lIIa-2VRUyCGHwidFhuYi94o2nluXxv8TlvNTPePupWGx9M57aah5LxJAqRQ1GPAZaguvn6bV-hIoS2BPGslWXu4DoDdGkHE1FeptfnNSW~h7Ia1edbuBrFaCnXUSOeEwatm1KLvDBTvw98v2hhGvw3dlCK4TE-rK~4INLo4p33OUukYuvRYgBQ4KjJZp6xhDbtC-ZE~cF9FF3k0E1JuUD7SZA1nVonjhZ6Tauvk3MyEu9j~w~D-Ll5e3BpfK1mRWDS3U6zBc10KWcujbHpTc0UBzVeOKTvePWUGeuED80VBq1GSC~HlSUKAJzkYt3hH0TRnmMHMr3cLjFYJNA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Seattle City Council Transportation Committee held a regional roundtable on transit security on Feb. 8, 2025, bringing together city, county and Sound Transit officials, union leaders and business representatives to discuss steps to improve safety on buses and trains after the Dec. 18 killing of King County Metro operator Sean Yim.

The meeting opened with Rob Sacca, chair of the Transportation Committee, describing recent incidents and urging a regional response. “This kind of behavior does not engender the type of public confidence and trust in the average member of the public that we need,” Sacca said.

Why it matters: Committee members and witnesses said fears about safety are reducing ridership and putting transit investments at risk. ATU Local 587 leaders told the council that public transit is “at a tipping point and at a crossroads,” and urged coordinated action from cities, the county and the state. Officials described a mix of enforcement, outreach and capital measures already underway or planned to change conditions on the system.

King County Metro General Manager Michelle Allison said Metro has shifted from a traditional law-enforcement-led model toward what she called a “care and presence” model that adds behavioral-health teams, transit ambassadors and more transit security officers alongside Metro Transit Police. Allison acknowledged the agency’s grief over Operator Yim’s death and said Metro would continue adjusting deployments and tactics based on incident data.

Metro Transit Police Chief Todd Murrell described Operation Safe Transit, a regional initiative launched in 2024 to restore a criminal-justice “backstop” after a period when many low-level offenses were not leading to booking. Murrell said the program began as a limited pilot in May, expanded systemwide in June 2024, and that “we have just crossed the threshold today, 475 arrests for crimes on our system,” characterizing those arrests as a small number relative to total daily boardings but a sign of increased proactive activity by deputies.

Sound Transit Deputy CEO Moises Gutierrez said Sound Transit is balancing faster incident response and prevention work, including station activation (lighting and cleanliness), expanded security staffing and a text-reporting line for riders. “The safety of our passengers, operators, and broader community is our number 1 priority at Sound Transit,” he said.

From the city, interim SDOT Director Adi Emery outlined capital and right-of-way approaches—sidewalks, improved crossings and bus-zone upgrades— and said the 2024 transportation levy includes funds for transit passenger safety. Natalie Walton Anderson, Chief of Public Safety for the mayor, described a “place-based” downtown activation pilot that combines enforcement, outreach and city services and said the mayor’s office is coordinating treatment beds and outreach to connect people with services.

Union and business voices: ATU Local 587 leaders urged faster, stronger action and criticized years of what they called permissive enforcement. “We will spend billions more in the next decades expanding it. All that investment is placed in jeopardy if operators don't feel safe,” said ATU representative Greg Woodfill. John Scholes of the Downtown Seattle Association told the committee that a safe transit system is critical to downtown recovery.

Council funding and next steps: Council members noted recent budget and levy actions that direct money to transit safety. Rob Sacca and other council members described roughly $9 million in levy funding earmarked over eight years for increased transit safety work, and separate budget allocations of $1 million in 2024 and $1 million in 2025 for King County’s ambassador program, behavioral-health teams, and additional transit security personnel. SDOT staff said implementation agreements are being finalized and that some hires and contract work could begin within weeks of executed agreements.

What remains unsettled: Officials and council members repeatedly raised the need for clearer, more consistent response protocols across jurisdictions—who responds when an incident is reported on a vehicle or at a stop—and urged more rapid scale-up of ambassador staffing, curbside/stop upgrades and operator partitions. Metro said it is moving toward a phased retrofit and installation of stronger operator partitions and larger protections on new coaches, but detailed retrofit timelines will be coordinated with labor.

The committee discussed follow-up briefings and regional coordination, and members said they plan further oversight, including possible work in the council’s public-safety committee. The meeting closed with the chair saying the committee will continue monitoring implementation and partnerships across agencies to improve transit safety for riders and operators.","At a Feb. 8 Transportation Committee roundtable, Seattle, King County and Sound Transit officials and union leaders described stepped-up enforcement, new behavioral-health teams and expanded ambassador programs intended to improve rider and operator safety after the Dec. 2024 killing of a King County Metro operator.","actionData","errors"]

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Ballard residents urge Seattle to reroute Burke-Gilman ‘missing link’ away from Leary Avenue

Seattle committee hears regionwide push to restore order on buses and trains after driver killing