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Commission hears school‑streets briefing and selects 30 traffic‑calming projects for scoping
Summary
City staff proposed school‑streets concepts and presented Cycle 15 traffic‑calming scoping: 30 candidate projects were sent to a consultant for design work with a fall review and a November final recommendation to council; community walking audits influenced candidate priorities.
City staff introduced the concept of school streets and a schedule for scoping neighborhood traffic‑calming projects as part of Cycle 15.
Nicole White, climate resilience program coordinator, defined a school street as “a street or section of street ... that is temporarily or permanently closed to vehicular traffic, often during certain hours such as pickup or drop off times.” She summarized benefits — reduced local pollution, safer routes for students, and opportunities for outdoor learning in dense contexts — and cited examples from Seattle, Portland and New York to show a range of pilot and permanent implementations.
Staff presented project selection and timeline for Cycle 15 traffic calming: a work group reviewed 311 and previous lists and selected 30 projects for consultant scoping (DOW). Those 30 projects will be scoped through August; staff will return with designs and a narrowed candidate list in September, then present a final recommendation to council in November for 2027 quick‑build and 2028 construction budgeting.
Abby Martin described on‑the‑ground reconnaissance across districts and raised connectivity and crossing‑safety concerns — including pinch points on Monroe (5th–14th), left‑turn conflict and queuing on Ray at 27th, and visibility/safety issues on the Maple Street bridge — and said the consultant will consider safety, connectivity and equity when scoping designs.
Commissioners expressed broad support and asked staff to continue iterative checks with council and community stakeholders during scoping. The commission did not vote on funding at this meeting; staff will return with scoped designs and budget recommendations in the fall.
