167 people were killed in incidents involving motor vehicles last year in King County. That’s double the number from nine years ago. That’s 167 people too many. That’s why I introduced legislation this week that would establish a “Safe System” approach to traffic safety in King County, set out a renewed goal of zero traffic deaths or serious injuries, and develop a coordinated, multi-agency safety action plan. A Safe System approach recognizes that humans make mistakes, designing and managing roadway infrastructure to reduce the risk of death and serious injury when mistakes happen.
Improving traffic safety has been one of my top priorities for many years. My last act as Bellevue Mayor was to lead the Council in passing a Vision Zero policy and, during my tenure as President of the Puget Sound Regional Council, I helped guide the agency towards improving safety across our region through our Regional Transportation Plan. King County also has a critical role to play in making our transportation system safer, with oversight of 1,500 miles of roads,185 bridges,175 miles of regional trails, and more.
The cost of doing nothing in the face of skyrocketing traffic deaths and serious injuries is more suffering, more grief, more loss of human life. That's unacceptable, especially when we have the tools to make our streets safer even when human error occurs. I am proud to introduce this motion to ensure King County is doing our part to eradicate serious injury and deaths on our roads, trails, bike lanes, and sidewalks.
 Click on the image above to watch a recording of the childcare discussion
This week, I invited a panel of childcare experts to brief the Committee of the Whole, which I chair, on the challenges and opportunities that exist in our childcare system. Quality childcare is critical, strengthening our economy by enabling parents to go back to work, supporting early childhood development, and providing thousands of jobs. But it’s expensive, slots are difficult to find, and childcare professionals—mostly women and people of color—are massively underpaid.
King County has ramped up our efforts to invest in childcare, through Best Starts for Kids, our Puget Sound Taxpayer Accountability Account initiative, and COVID relief funds, but we can and must do more. Representatives from BrightSpark (formerly Child Care Resources), SEIU 925, and Best Starts for Kids shared what they are seeing on the ground and ideas for how we can make progress on this critical issue. I look forward to continuing to work with them, my colleagues, childcare providers, and community members to ensure every family has access to affordable, high-quality childcare
|
