Seattle, WA

Seattle has a long road ahead to meet Vision Zero by 2030

Published

2 years ago

April 16, 2024

Seattle has a long road ahead to meet Vision Zero by 2030

Seattle city leaders say they want to end traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030. But with some collisions still on the rise, it’s unclear if the city can make that goal.

At Tuesday’s Seattle City Council Transportation Committee meeting, the Seattle Department of Transportation’s chief safety officer opened with a moment of silence.

“To recognize those people who have been impacted by deaths and serious injuries on our streets,” Venu Nemani said.

Even with Vision Zero, traffic fatalities remain high in Seattle

More than 250 people in Seattle were injured last year in some sort of traffic collision, SDOT data shows. Nemani and his department are charged with bringing that number down to zero in less than six years.

Seattle launched that effort, called Vision Zero, in 2015 and since then the city has averaged about 28 traffic deaths per year.

There are some signs of hope. Car driver fatalities, for example, are down overall in Seattle after peaking in 2021.

The challenges of designing safer Seattle streets

“But the story is slightly different on serious injury collisions,” Nemani said. “Across all categories, our serious injury collisions are going up.”

Car violence varies widely depending on where you live in Seattle. Between 2018 and 2022, 8% of collisions occurred in the northwest neighborhoods of the University District, Ravenna, and Laurelhurst. But southeast communities like West Seattle, Fauntleroy, and White Center experienced 22% of crashes.

About a quarter of all city streets are missing any form of sidewalk. The blocks most in need of a safe walkway are in south Seattle and north of Green Lake, according to SDOT.

Nemani told the committee Tuesday that SDOT is working on a three-year action plan to, hopefully, meet Vision Zero’s goals. He didn’t share too many specifics as the plan is still being finalized, but SDOT’s presentation said it will likely include “continuing speed limit reductions with safety corridor projects and implementing arterial traffic calming.”

Nemani said he anticipates the 2024-2026 action plan will be published within the next month.

Pedestrian deaths fell modestly last year, but there’s still a safety ‘crisis’

That’s likely good news for anyone who’s been concerned for their safety on Seattle streets, including members of the Seattle City Council.

Councilmember Dan Strauss shared his experience of healing after being hit on his bike by a driver in 2004. Strauss told Nemani he wants to see SDOT do more and move faster to keep cyclists and pedestrians safe.

“The charge that I’m giving you today is that there are twice as many people as your data shows that are living with serious and chronic pain from being hit on our roadways,” he said.

Can AI reduce traffic deaths? These Seattle engineers are putting it to the test

The department highlighted some bright spots in the city’s collision data. Crosswalk signals that give people more time to cross the street, for example, have helped reduce some turning crashes.

“These trends, while give us hope, also indicate that we have a lot more work ahead of us,” Nemani said.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle Torrent put Olympic captain Hilary Knight on long-term IR – Seattle Sports

Published

12 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Seattle Torrent put Olympic captain Hilary Knight on long-term IR – Seattle Sports

Olympians Hilary Knight, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Erin Ambrose have all been placed on long-term injured reserve by their PWHL clubs after sustaining injuries during the Milan Cortina Games.

Kraken sign forwards Ben Meyers, Ryan Winterton to extensions

Knight, a five-time Olympian and captain of the United States team that won gold, will be out of the lineup for the Seattle Torrent indefinitely after sustaining a lower-body injury in Italy, the team announced Friday.

Knight had three goals and three assists for the U.S. at Milan Cortina including a goal in the 2-1 overtime win over Canada in the final. She has three goals and seven assists during the current PWHL season.

USA comes back to beat Canada in OT for women’s hockey gold

“While we’re eager to be at full strength and recognize the anticipation of Hilary’s return, we’re focused on putting her and our team in the best position for a playoff push,” Torrent general manager Meghan Turner said in a statement.

Minnesota Frost captain Coyne Schofield was placed on long-term injured reserve on Friday retroactive to Feb. 19 with an upper-body injury. Coyne Schofield scored three goals for the United States during the Olympics.

“I am incredibly proud of all our Frost Olympians who demonstrated true excellence on the world stage,” general manager Melissa Caruso said in a statement. “We are fully committed to supporting Kendall throughout her recovery, and our medical team will be working diligently to help her prepare for her return to the ice.”

The moves by the Torrent and Frost came a day after the Montreal Victoire announced that Ambrose has been placed on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Feb. 19 for a lower‑body injury suffered while representing Canada in the gold medal game. Ambrose had a pair of assists at the Olympics.

The Victoire’s Marie-Philip Poulin, Canada’s captain in Italy, was listed as day-to-day with an Olympics-related injury.

Victoire general manager Daniele Sauvageau said of the team’s Olympians “we are confident that they will be back in the lineup in the near future.”

PWHL influence apparent at Olympics with OT medal games

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Seattle, WA

Three trapped after car goes into ditch near Seattle’s Washington Park Arboretum

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Three trapped after car goes into ditch near Seattle’s Washington Park Arboretum

SEATTLE — Firefighters are responding to a car that drove into a ditch near Lake Washington Boulevard East and East Foster Island Road on Friday, according to the Seattle Fire Department.

Crews arriving at the scene reported that three people are trapped inside the car.

Firefighters were working to stabilize the car and get everyone out safely. Crews worked to remove the roof of the car to get everyone out, according to fire officials.

Authorities are urging the public to avoid the area while emergency crews respond.

The crash occurred in the area between the Montlake and Broadmoor neighborhoods, and traffic can be expected as emergency crews respond.

No additional information was immediately available.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle Kraken fall to Blues 5-1 in 2nd straight loss

Published

2 days ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Seattle Kraken fall to Blues 5-1 in 2nd straight loss

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dylan Holloway had a hat trick and added an assist in his return from a sprained ankle, Joel Hofer made 23 saves and the St. Louis Blues came off the Olympic break to beat the Seattle Kraken 5-1 on Thursday night.

St. Louis Blues 5, Seattle Kraken 1: Box score

Jordan Kyrou and Holloway — activated from injured reserve before the game — scored in a 23-second span early in the second period to give St. Louis a 3-1 lead.

Pius Suter added a goal and two assists to help the Blues end a three-game losing streak.

Holloway completed St. Louis’ first hat trick of the season with 3:01 left, scoring into an empty net for his 11th of the season.

Kaapo Kakko tied it at 1 for Seattle in the first period, and Philipp Grubauer stopped 26 shots. The Kraken were coming off a 4-1 loss in Dallas on Wednesday night.

Kyrou made it 2-1 at 1:12 of the second off a feed from Pavel Buchnevich on a break. Holloway poked the puck past Grubauer off a scramble at 1:35. Suter scored at 1:56 of the third.

St. Louis’ Cam Fowler appeared in his 1,100th game, becoming the 10th active defenseman in the NHL to reach the mark.