Federal Way outlines road-safety audit after scooter-pedestrian collision; no immediate engineering warrant found

Federal Way Public Works on April 7 briefed council on a March 22 pedestrian-vehicle collision at 19th Avenue SW and SW Campus Drive in which a juvenile on a scooter entered the intersection against a red light and was struck.

Public Works said the juvenile was released to family at the scene and did not require transport for medical treatment. A seven-year review showed six pedestrian-involved incidents at that location; staff told council the intersection ranked roughly 50th among city intersections by total collisions and 107th by collision rate, and did not show a time-of-day pattern tied to school start or end.

The city explained it is conducting a road-safety audit with a multidisciplinary team that includes police, schools, King County Metro, pedestrian advocates and members of the public. Field walks are scheduled in the coming weeks, and findings will be calibrated by an outside traffic consultant before staff return with recommended engineering, signage or signal changes by mid to late summer.

Public Works emphasized it will not make "reactionary" changes after a single collision but will rely on warranted conditions based on national traffic-safety design criteria. The department noted that many recent pedestrian incidents involved pedestrians failing to obey a signal; staff said safety measures may not prevent all unlawful crossings and that behavioral interventions and broader corridor work may be part of a longer-term solution.

Councilmembers asked for counts and clarification; staff said the audit process and potential countermeasures will be discussed publicly after the consultant review and community field walk.