Residents urge traffic-safety steps after fatal crash at Cole and Stevenson

Residents pressed the Enumclaw City Council on June 22 for urgent traffic-safety measures at the Cole Street and Stevenson intersection following a crash in January that later resulted in a resident’s death.

A resident who spoke during the public-comment period said the family had been told the city’s pedestrian improvements might not take place until January and asked for an update and short-term funding. “We would still wish to have an update regarding how we're progressing,” the resident said.

The comments centered on the January incident involving Eileen Griffith, a detail repeated by Nora Tackenboge, who identified herself as a city resident: “I just hope that, you know, Eileen's death wasn't in vain,” she said, urging the council to consider small, immediate measures such as hand-held red flags to increase driver awareness if larger projects must wait for funding.

Another commenter, a veteran resident, described repeated near misses at the intersection and urged stepped-up enforcement and engineering measures. He asked the city to “put in the lights, put in the signs 25 miles an hour” and suggested temporary enforcement tactics such as unmarked vehicles and speed checks to deter dangerous driving.

Longtime resident Cindy Proctor urged the council to reconsider previously denied traffic-calming requests in the Rilla Lane/Melody Lane area and flagged several safety and accessibility concerns: drivers failing to stop at signs, on-street parking that blocks visibility, an active bus stop that increases pedestrian exposure, and missing or noncompliant ADA curb ramps that force people into the roadway. She said she has video documentation of drivers running stop signs and making unsafe turns.

Why it matters: commenters said the locations named are used by families, children and trail users, and that the lack of immediate interventions risks further injury or loss of life. Speakers repeatedly asked the council for interim, low-cost remedies while larger engineering work is scheduled.

Council reaction and next steps: The council heard the public comments during the designated public-comment period and moved on to committee reports; no formal vote or direction authorizing immediate pedestrian-project funding is recorded in the public transcript of the meeting.

The issue may return through staff updates, committee agendas or future council meetings; residents requested clearer timelines and quicker interim measures while capital improvements proceed.