Everett staff outline Vision 0 safety plan after federal grant; draft due for public comment in September

City traffic staff presented an update May 14 on Everett’s Vision 0 safety-action plan — a data-driven effort funded by a $788,000 Safe Streets for All grant to reduce and ultimately eliminate fatal and serious traffic crashes.

Corey Hertz, Everett’s city traffic engineer, told the Parks and Built Environment Council Committee the project analyzed five years of local crash data and produced a high-risk network of corridors and intersections that concentrate the most severe crashes. "For the past five years of available data, there were 9,730 crashes overall on Everett streets," Hertz said, adding that the data set excludes limited-access highways. "During that time, there were 54 fatal crashes and 215 serious-injury crashes."

The plan emphasizes pedestrian safety. Hertz said pedestrians account for roughly 31 percent of the city’s serious crashes and about half of fatal crashes. He described the high-risk corridors as concentrated on arterial streets such as Evergreen Way, Everett Mall Way and Broadway and named specific high-crash intersections under review.

Stephen Fickinger, chair of the Transportation Advisory Committee, described Vision 0 as a shift in how the city approaches safety: "We need to think differently about what we're doing and how we're doing it," he said, recounting a personal crash that informed his commitment to safety. Fickinger and committee members emphasized that engineering must be paired with enforcement and public education.

The draft plan will present a menu of countermeasures. Hertz listed examples under consideration, including higher lighting on arterials, modern crashworthy guardrail, enhanced crosswalks with pedestrian refuge islands and rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, and a corridor-level reconstruction strategy for large projects such as Evergreen Way. He said technical project sheets — more than 350 pages total — document causes and recommendations for each segment and intersection on the high-risk network.

Hertz described a proposed speed-management policy informed by corridor characteristics (lane width, on-street parking, traffic volumes, land use and operating speeds). As a calibration example, the analysis recommended lowering one segment of Sixteenth Street to 25 mph while keeping Holly Drive at 30 mph; the recommendation will be subject to an engineering judgement considering school proximity and then finalized by resolution to the council. "A small team of traffic engineers and practitioners will evaluate things like school proximity and other factors to make an engineering judgment and a final recommendation," Hertz said.

Public engagement has been ongoing, Hertz said. Staff received more than 350 public comments during initial outreach; the team staged neighborhood listening sessions, advisory workshops and online input through a mapping tool. The consultant team is finalizing prioritized projects and early-adoption strategies for lower-cost, quick-to-implement actions. "Our traffic staff is already going through these comments to address things that can be addressed right away like vegetation concerns, sight distance, and parking problems," Hertz said.

Committee members asked about emerging micromobility modes and enforcement capacity. Council member Zierlingo asked whether faster e-bikes, scooters and one-wheels change the risk profile; Hertz replied that state law and equipment classes already shape where particular e-bike classes may operate and that interactions among modes will increase the need for thoughtful design and enforcement. Council member Brevoglia emphasized that speed limits alone have limited effect without street design changes or enforcement; Hertz and Fickinger agreed Vision 0 prioritizes changing street character as well as setting limits.

The plan will also position Everett to compete for larger implementation grants. Hertz said jurisdictions with completed Vision 0 plans can apply for implementation funding of up to $5 million from federal programs. He noted the city has also received a $400,000 speed-management grant from Safe Streets for All to evaluate posted speeds on arterials and local streets; that agreement is pending final clearance with the Federal Highway Administration.

Hertz said staff plan a council briefing when the draft plan is released for public comment in September and an in-person open house to gather feedback. The committee heard no formal motion or vote during the briefing; staff presented progress, answered questions and outlined next steps toward public review and council consideration.

The presentation and the technical memoranda are being reviewed by staff; once finalized the materials will be made publicly available and will inform additional design work, outreach and grant applications.