Residents urge swift pedestrian safety work at Cole and Stevenson after fatal crash

Residents pressed the Enumclaw City Council on June 22 for faster safety fixes at the Cole and Stevenson intersection after a January crash that later proved fatal.

Resident (speaker 6) told the council that a person struck in January died and asked for an update on the project timeline, noting staff had said some work might not occur until January and urging the city to find pedestrian funding sooner. “We would still wish to have an update regarding how we're moving forward on the Stevenson Cole area,” the resident said, adding, “we really need your help.”

A Navy veteran (Resident, speaker 4) recounted decades of service and described the corner as volatile, urging enforcement and physical calming: “Please put in the lights, put in the signs 25 miles an hour, and take people's cars away,” the speaker said, adding that a woman in a wheelchair who was struck later died.

Nora Tackenboge, a city resident, also cited the death of Eileen Griffith and suggested low-cost visibility measures such as the handheld red flags used elsewhere to prompt drivers to make eye contact at stop signs: “I just hope that, you know, Eileen's death wasn't in vain,” she said.

Longtime resident Cindy Proctor broadened the request to nearby streets, documenting repeated failures to stop at signs, missing ADA-compliant curb ramps, a nearby bus stop and trailhead, increased on-street parking limiting sight lines, and videos of drivers running stop signs. She urged the council to reconsider lower‑cost traffic‑calming options and ADA improvements to prevent further injuries.

Council members did not take formal action during public comment. The concerns were heard during the public comment portion of the meeting; council later continued with committee reports and business. The council did not vote on a specific pedestrian funding allocation at this meeting.