Edmonds asks for neighbor feedback on road safety

Published 1:30 am Thursday, February 3, 2022

EDMONDS — Neighbors who want safer roads in Edmonds can ask the city for traffic calming measures through Feb. 11.

Last year the city’s budget included $15,130 for pavement markings, signage and speed radar signs. Other solutions can be considered, depending on the traffic issue and location.

A similar amount is in this year’s budget.

The city gathers citizen action requests and petition forms from residents to consider where to spend money and staff time.

Any resident can fill out an action request that asks for name, contact information, traffic concern and the “root cause” of the problem.

Petition forms need eight neighbor signatures, one per household, and ask for location of concern.

Not all streets in Edmonds are eligible. Excluded are dead-end streets; roads scheduled for resurfacing in two years, where a device would “create unsafe conditions”; and those that don’t meet average daily traffic requirements of between 500 and 3,000 vehicles.

After staff evaluate the petitions, the city considers education and enforcement. Within a year of those efforts, they compare traffic data to previous conditions.

If not enough improvement occurred, the city considers changing the road.