Some exciting news! The sidewalk repair and construction legislation we’ve been working on passed Seattle City Council last night! The legislation will require that sidewalks get repaired during large repaving projects and that if it’s feasible, missing sidewalks get built.
First, a shoutout to Disability Mobility Initiative organizer Cecelia Black – whose leadership and organizing work made this possible! And to the Seattle Foundation for believing in our vision and funding us to be able to do this Seattle-focused work.
We terrific turnout at the public comment yesterday and it was really nice to have our allies in labor and climate groups calling out their support. In addition to everyone who showed up to testify in person and remotely, Cecelia has been documenting the stories of Seattleites who rely on connected and accessible sidewalks, and you can watch those videos on Youtube or social media. She’s also spoken to reporters about her experience, and all of this work helped shift the narrative that sidewalks do matter and we need to invest in a connected city.
To develop the sidewalks policy legislation, we relied on collaboration from former SDOT director Sam Zimbabwe, former Mayor and now executive director of America Walks, Mike McGinn, Commute Seattle staff (in particular Noah An), landscape architect Brice Maryman, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways and National Complete Streets Coalition/Smart Growth America. This work was preceded by legislation we worked on in 2019 as part of the MASS Coalition that was championed by Councilmember Herbold and funded a study on sidewalk repair. This year, Councilmember Tammy Morales and her staff Devin Silvernail took the lead on shepherding our proposal, and transportation committee chair Alex Pedersen and staff Hannah Thorensen worked hard to get it through the finish line before the end of the year.
Next up, we’ll be working to ensure the upcoming Seattle transportation levy has the resources it needs for these sidewalk projects. Stay tuned for ways to support that work!