Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Pedestrian Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge quicker safety fixes after pedestrian death at Cole and Stevenson
Summary
Several residents told the Enumclaw City Council June 22 that speeding and poor visibility at the Cole and Stevenson intersection and on nearby streets have led to crashes and one fatality; they urged short-term safety measures, enforcement and updates on planned capital work.
Several Enumclaw residents urged the City Council on June 22 to act more quickly to address dangerous conditions at the Cole and Stevenson intersection and on nearby neighborhood streets after a January crash that resulted in a death.
At the start of public comment, a resident said he had returned several times seeking an update and asked the council for pedestrian funding and a timeline for improvements. “We would still wish to have an update regarding how we're moving forward on the Stevenson Cole area,” the resident said, noting that a person struck in January later died and asking the city not to wait until January for fixes.
Another resident who identified himself as a Navy veteran recounted decades of service and described drivers “with their coffee cup and their telephone” who speed through the intersection. “I raised my hand twice to protect our land against all enemies, both foreign and domestic,” the resident said. “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 do something, please.”
Nora Tackenboge, who said she has been a city resident since the 1990s, urged low-cost interim measures while larger projects are planned. “Could we maybe get those little flags that you see in all the other cities… anything to help with people so that you can try and have eye contact with people when they are coming up to the stop sign,” Tackenboge said, adding she hoped the victim’s death “wasn't in vain.”
Cindy Proctor, a longtime Enumclaw resident, described repeated failures by drivers to stop at signs on Rilla Lane and Melody Lane, missing or outdated ADA curb ramps that force people into the roadway, and drivers cutting through neighborhoods as shortcuts. She offered to share video documentation of near misses and asked the council to “reconsider practical lower-cost options such as mid-block reflective slow markings” and other traffic-calming measures.
Council members did not record a formal decision on the public comments in the transcript. During committee reports later in the meeting, council and staff noted ongoing discussions about traffic calming and capital projects; no specific new funding or schedule changes were announced during the June 22 meeting.
The council’s formal next steps were not recorded on the record. Residents asked for clearer communication about timelines and for temporary measures—including better signage, targeted enforcement, and low-cost visibility aids—while major engineering work is planned.
