A safer Bellevue is possible.
I’m in a local urbanist Discord server that highlights actions to support safer streets and more housing in the Seattle suburbs. In support of the SAFE Bellevue campaign, I modified their form letter with my own introductory paragraphs:
I live just up the road in Kirkland and am in Bellevue all the time. I stopped biking in Bellevue, though, because I don’t feel safe on the streets. I don’t think it’s reasonable that my life as a cyclist should be at risk so that roads can be designed for maximum car speeds and throughput. Slower streets are safer for everyone.
I applaud your leadership in declaring Bellevue a Vision Zero city. I was, however, disappointed to read about the capitulation to car interests on Bel-Red Road last year. As a driver, I am appalled at some of the unsafe road conditions I see people biking on in Bellevue. In 2025, when we are already facing the first impacts of climate change and locked in for much more, we need to make it safe for people to choose non-polluting means of transportation.
If we want a different system — one that reflects our shared prioritization of safety above all else – we will need to make different choices. Here is what I’d like you to choose:
- Please recommit to the deployment of proven countermeasures like bike lanes, road diets, 25 mph speed limits, and other popular street treatments to keep us safe;
- Please make it easier to reduce vehicle miles traveled (a proven safety countermeasure) by supporting mixed-use zoning, transit lanes, and complete streets facilities that reduce car dependency; and
- Please implement these facilities as quickly as possible through the strategic deployment of cost-effective, rapid-build infrastructure instead of acquiring expensive new right-of-way.
Our loved ones getting injured or losing their lives to traffic violence does not have to be normal or “the cost of doing business.” We can have a transportation system that ensures safety and mobility for all who want to travel in Bellevue. I urge you to make the choices needed to realize the vision in Vision Zero.
