💡 How to make Seattle’s streets safer

A New Plan To Make Seattle's Streets Safer

In order to move closer to the city’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths by 2030, Mayor Katie Wilson signed an executive order on Friday to expedite the Seattle Department of Transportation’s pedestrian infrastructure projects. Wilson is giving SDOT a deadline of January 31, 2027, to streamline their approach to fixing safety issues on streets in the city’s “High Injury Network” — namely, Aurora Avenue North, Rainier Avenue South, and Martin Luther King Jr. Way South. [KUOW]

• What else is in the executive order? The five-part executive order calls for updating street lighting systems, upgrading the city’s vehicle fleets, and increasing the participation rate in the school street program at Seattle Public Schools to 40%. Vision Zero projects will also be allowed to “jump the line” to fast-track street safety upgrades like changing lane configurations, car turning, and parking.
• Has Vision Zero been working? "We are not on track to eliminate serious injuries and fatalities by 2030," the mayor said at Friday's press conference. In fact, the number of deaths has been going up: In 2025, 27 people died in traffic collisions, the majority of whom were pedestrians. 219 were seriously injured. This grim trend has continued this year, with at least 10 fatal traffic incidents so far. Earlier this year, Councilmember Rob Saka called for a formal audit of the program to take place this fall.
• New bus lane on Route 8: A bus lane has opened on Denny Way at a major bottleneck near I-5, which adds turning and lane restrictions, and changes the route to get onto the interstate.
• Today on the podcast, Ryan Packer, contributing editor at The Urbanist, joined host Jane C. Hu to talk about the executive order, including the plan to scale up Seattle's automated traffic enforcement camera program. [City Cast Seattle 🎧]

💰 How will the trade war between the US and Canada affect us? President Trump’s newly enacted tariffs on Canadian goods are expected to affect about 5% of Canada’s annual exports to the U.S., including wine, hockey sticks, and agricultural products. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to roll out “dollar for dollar” retaliatory measures. Washington is one of the most heavily trade-dependent states, though economic experts predict only minor short-term impacts. [PBS]

🔥 Dozens of new wildfires reported: More than 50 new wildfires have sparked in Oregon and Washington, caused by windy conditions and hundreds of lightning strikes. Three wildfires in Kittitas County have prompted evacuations north of Roslyn, and the Colwash fire is burning in Yakima County. 2026 is shaping up to be the second-worst year for the size of areas burned, with 1,200 square miles burned in the state so far. This week, more hazy skies and poor air quality are expected due to wildfire smoke. [Seattle Times]

🏫 Suquamish Tribe curriculum ready for schools: In January, Seattle Public Schools will begin incorporating a Suquamish Tribe-focused curriculum into lessons for middle and high school students. Representatives from at least eight school districts attended a presentation on this curriculum last week. In 2015, a state law went into effect mandating that a generalized curriculum centered on Indigenous history be taught in all schools, but 26% of Washington school districts haven’t fully implemented the law yet. [KUOW]