Residents urge quick action on Cole and Stevenson intersection after fatal crash

Several residents told the Enumclaw City Council on June 22 that they want faster action to make the Cole and Stevenson intersection safer after a January crash that later proved fatal.

A resident who spoke during public comment said she had notified city staff weeks earlier and asked for an update on the Stevenson and Cole area, urging the council to secure pedestrian funding so “we would still wish to have an update regarding how we're moving forward on the Stevenson Cole area.” She told council the community has “lost a person” and asked officials to speed the work.

A second resident introduced as John described repeated near-miss incidents and speeding, and urged enforcement and physical countermeasures: “Put in the lights, put in the signs 25 miles an hour, and take people's cars away and do something, please,” he said, recounting that a neighbor in a wheelchair was struck and later died.

Longtime resident Nora Tackenboge reiterated that Eileen Griffith died after a vehicle failed to stop at the intersection and suggested low-cost interim measures such as handheld red flags to increase driver visibility if permanent improvements are delayed: “I just hope that, you know, Eileen's death wasn't in vain.”

Cindy Proctor, also speaking during public comment, expanded the concern to nearby residential corridors, describing missing or outdated ADA curb ramps, frequent speeding by nonresident cut-through drivers and a neighborhood bus stop that increases pedestrian vulnerability. She urged the council to reconsider previously denied traffic-calming requests and to pursue lower-cost interventions while larger projects are planned.

Council did not take formal action on the matter during the meeting; public comment closed after multiple speakers raised similar safety concerns and asked for a status update and potential interim measures.