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Resident urges Kennewick action on 7th Avenue traffic safety after repeated studies
Summary
A long-term Kennewick resident told the council May 5 that multiple traffic studies confirm a dangerous and persistent safety problem on 7th Avenue and urged enforcement and action rather than more studies, citing a prior crash near the Blue Bridge/Lewis Street exit.
Kennewick — A longtime Kennewick resident urged the City Council on May 5 to treat repeated traffic studies as a call to action on 7th Avenue rather than an invitation for more study.
Pamela Peterson, who said she has lived in the community for 69 years, told council members that "multiple traffic studies have confirmed what all the residents have been saying all along" and argued the pattern of studies without meaningful change erodes public trust. "This isn't a request for another study," Peterson said. "Respectfully, we're asking that action is taken before something serious happens."
Peterson referenced a prior tragic incident at the Lewis Street exit near the Blue Bridge and said she and neighbors had participated in on-site meetings with city officials but had not seen substantive enforcement or policy changes. She said failures to act shift responsibility from government to residents and stressed the need for enforcement and accountability.
Why it matters: The comment frames repeated technical findings as a governance and enforcement problem. Traffic-safety concerns can implicate engineering, enforcement and budget choices; residents said they want specific, enforceable measures rather than additional consultation.
What happens next: Council members acknowledged the concern; no specific council action or motion was recorded during the public-comment period, and the matter was not placed on the open agenda for immediate action at this meeting.
