Major Funding Promises Safer Streets
Seattle is gearing up to make bicycling throughout our rapidly growing city more accessible – and much safer – over the next nine years.
Approved by voters last fall, the $930 million Levy to Move Seattle provides funding to improve safety for all travelers, maintain our streets and bridges, and invest in reliable, affordable travel options.
The levy dedicates $207 million over the next nine years to provide safe and accessible routes connecting schools, transit hubs and other destinations. A major portion of this will go toward building 50 miles of protected bike lanes and 60 miles of neighborhood greenways on low traffic residential streets.
When the levy concludes at the end of 2024, more than half of the planned citywide bicycle network will be completed, allowing more people of all ages and abilities to experience the joy of riding.
These improvements come at a crucial time. Seattle is growing rapidly and people are asking for more affordable, reliable ways to get around. The expanded network of protected bike lanes and greenways will complement levy investments in transit, including $104 million for transit corridor enhancements on seven of our busiest streets.
These investments will also help us achieve our Vision Zero goal of ending traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030. Even though Seattle is one of the safest cities in the United States, close to 20 people die on our streets every year as the result of a crash. By investing in safe routes over nine years, we will bring that tragic number down.
So, get excited. Get very excited! Because moving around and experiencing our city on two feet and two wheels is about to get a whole lot better.
