To a smattering of applause, Seattle City Council yesterday passed a resolution adopting the city's first pedestrian master plan. (Watch the meeting on Seattle Channel.)
The pedestrian master plan is ambitious: It aims to make Seattle the most walkable city in the nation. The first citywide action plan focuses exclusively on walking, it is meant to increase Seattle’s walkability by improving pedestrian safety, assuring equity in accessibility and capital investments, developing vibrant communities and promoting health. The resolution calls for as much as $15 million annually to implement the plan. To learn more about the pedestrian master plan, check out our background piece or find the whole plan here.
A council-generated inititative that has moved forward with the support of the mayor and executive departments, Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin said the plan has been about six years in the making. "We were a little optimistic about how long we thought it would take," councilmember Jan Drago said at the meeting. "We didn't think it would take quite this long, but here we are today."
At the meeting, councilmember Sally Clark expressed her support for the plan: "I think part of this is really about a cultural change and continuing that push to recognize that transportation is more than just figuring out what happens in the middle of the roadway where the cars are."
Though the plan was approved, councilmember Tim Burgess said the work is just beginning. "[Seattle City Council needs] to make sure that we now fund the implementation of this plan as well as the companion bicycle master plan," he said. He is hopeful that Mayor Greg Nickels will take steps in that direction when he presents his budget later this month.
