Residents press Enumclaw council for faster pedestrian safety fixes after fatal crash

Residents used the public comment period at the June 22 Enumclaw City Council meeting to urge immediate pedestrian safety improvements after a January crash that later resulted in the death of a local resident, Eileen Griffith.

A resident who did not give a name said she had left a message with staff and asked for an update on progress at the Cole & Stevenson corner, requested pedestrian funding and said the city should move faster because a person died. "We would still wish to have ... an update regarding how we're moving forward on the Stevenson Cole area," she said.

John (introduced by the prior speaker) recounted his military service and emphasized the safety risk at that corner. "...we need lights to stop the speeders that have their phone in their ear and not paying attention... little Eileen was in a wheelchair that got demolished, and she died. So please put in the lights, put in the signs 25 miles an hour, and take people's cars away and do something, please," he said.

Nora Tackenboge, a long‑time city resident, said funds may be limited now and asked council to consider low‑cost interim measures such as the handheld red flags some cities use or temporary signage so drivers make eye contact with pedestrians.

Cindy Proctor, another longtime resident, broadened the concern to Trella and Melody lanes and adjacent corridors, citing speeding, lack of ADA‑compliant curb cuts, bus stop activity that increases pedestrian vulnerability, on‑street parking that obstructs visibility, and past denials of traffic‑calming requests. She offered to provide video documentation of drivers running stop signs.

The public record in the June 22 meeting shows residents pressing for immediate, low‑cost interventions as well as longer‑term engineering and ADA corrections; no formal council action or funding commitment was recorded during that meeting.