Site Logo

Residents have until Sept. 15 to give feedback to help develop road safety projects and priorities

Published 12:12 am Monday, August 10, 2026

by Snohomish County Public Works

Roundabouts have several safety benefits when compared to a four-way signalized intersection: There's a 75 percent reduction in crashes resulting in injuries, 90 percent reduction in fatality crashes and a 37 percent reduction in all crashes. Pictured is the intersection of Larch Way/Logan Road and Locust Way near Brier. The roundabout was completed in 2024, replacing a four-way stop. Between 2014 and 2024, there were dozens of crashes at or near the intersection, some resulting in serious injuries.

A virtual open house and interactive survey are collecting input from across Snohomish County

The difference between driving 50 m.p.h. and 55 m.p.h. barely registers from behind the wheel. But in a crash, it can mean the difference between life and death. 

For every 10 percent increase in speed, the chances of someone being killed in a crash increases by 41 percent, according to the World Road Association Road Safety Manual. And the risk increases even more if a pedestrian or bicyclist is involved. 

Snohomish County Public Works has a decade of local crash data showing where that kind of math has already played out. 

In 2025 alone, 59 people in Snohomish County lost their lives in traffic crashes and many more were seriously injured.

The likelihood of a pedestrian surviving a crash with a vehicle decreases exponentially the faster the vehicle is moving. If a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle driving 40 m.p.h., there is at least an 80 percent chance of them being seriously injured or killed.

What the data doesn’t show is what a road feels like to the people who use it every day and that is the gap the county is trying to close this summer.
The county is hosting an online open house and survey through Sept. 15, where residents can mark specific locations on an interactive map and share the road safety issues that concern them most.

Those responses feed directly into priorities and possible projects in the county’s Road Safety Program and Safety Action Plan.

“We absolutely value your thoughts and want to hear where people are running into safety problems or feeling nervous, because that’s what tells us where to look next,” says Christina Anna Curtis, Transportation Specialist and Road Safety Program Manager.

The safety program runs in partnership with the Snohomish County Health Department, which built a public dashboard of crash data from 2014 to 2024, and its reach extends past just engineering.

From top: Cathcart Way before and after its 2024 resurfacing project. Snohomish County Public Works considers road safety improvements with every project. One example is the 132nd Street SE/134th Place SE/Cathcart Way overlay in 2024. The heavily-traveled road saw nearly 100 crashes between 2014 and 2024 and is part of the Pedestrian High-Injury Network. As part of the road resurfacing project, Snohomish County narrowed the driving lanes from 12 feet to 11 feet, added a double line to buffer the bicycle lane, and reduced the speed limit by 5 m.p.h.

 

 

“Road safety isn’t only about what happens on the road,” Curtis says. 

“It’s about how everyone – motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists – uses the transportation system and how we all have a shared responsibility for road safety. If we make it easier and safer to access the necessities of daily life, that shows up in people’s physical and mental health. That saves lives.” 

The goal of the Road Safety Action Plan is to identify priorities and projects that are specific and actionable, establishing clear steps for how the county will move toward the goal of zero serious and fatal traffic injuries.

“We want to hear about everyday experiences from everyone who uses county roads,” Curtis says. “That will help us create a safer Snohomish County.”

Snohomish County Public Works wants to hear from you! Attend the online open house and complete the survey before Sept. 15.