Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Traffic Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge quick safety fixes after pedestrian death at Cole and Stevenson
Summary
Multiple residents told the Enumclaw City Council June 22 that a January crash that killed a pedestrian at the Cole and Stevenson intersection requires immediate action, urging temporary measures and faster funding for permanent traffic-calming improvements.
At the June 22 Enumclaw City Council meeting, multiple residents urged the council to speed up safety improvements at the Cole and Stevenson intersection after a January crash that killed a local resident.
A longtime resident told the council she had previously reported the hazard and asked for an update on the city’s plans, saying the community ‘‘would still wish to have an update regarding how we're moving forward on the Stevenson Cole area’’ and asking the council to seek pedestrian funding rather than delay action until January.
A second resident, who described himself as a Navy veteran, described repeated dangerous driving at the corner and urged stepped-up enforcement and engineering changes: ‘‘I am now 76 years old. I'd like to live to a 100, and I cross that street, and people just zoom by. So please put in the lights, put in the signs 25 miles an hour, and take people's cars away and do something, please,’’ the resident said.
Nora Tackenboge, a city resident who addressed the council during the public-comment period, said the city ‘‘lost Eileen Griffith due to somebody not stopping at that sign’’ and asked for short-term visibility measures such as handheld flags and other low-cost devices while the city evaluates longer-term improvements.
Cindy Proctor, another longtime resident, asked the council to reconsider previously denied traffic-calming options in the Rilla and Melody Lane area and pointed to wider neighborhood problems, including missing ADA curb ramps and increased cut-through traffic: ‘‘The neighborhood corridor presents several significant safety challenges,’’ she said, and offered to provide video evidence of drivers running stop signs.
Council members did not vote on any safety measures during the meeting. The council’s public safety and public works committees are scheduled to meet in July; residents asked staff and council to prioritize short-term measures (flags, signage, enforcement) while pursuing engineering fixes and funding for permanent improvements.
The public-comment segment closed with a request that the city clarify timelines and funding options for pedestrian safety work at the affected intersections. No formal staff action or appropriation was recorded in the meeting minutes for immediate installation of lights or other capital work.
