Together, we've achieved a breakthrough to accelerate street safety improvements, filled critical gaps in the bike network, and built momentum for people-first streets in every neighborhood.

This year also marks our 15th year of transforming Seattle’s streets — from the city’s first neighborhood greenways to a growing movement to make it safer and easier to walk, bike, and roll in every neighborhood. In early 2026, we proudly stepped into a new chapter as Seattle Streets Alliance, with a name to better reflect who we are and build a future with even more impact.

Thanks to the collective support of our donors, volunteers, partners and allies, we're creating safer, more welcoming places to walk, bike, roll, and gather across the city.

Accelerating Vision Zero and Safety Improvements

We won the most important traffic safety announcement since Seattle adopted Vision Zero as a strategy and goal in 2015. Now we are working to ensure these safety commitments turn into real changes on our streets.

Seattle has spent more than a decade working toward Vision Zero — the goal to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries — but progress has fallen far short. Streets Alliance has been working to hold the city accountable to Vision Zero for years.

This year, we proposed solutions that would make a difference, and demanded stronger leadership from the city. The Mayor stepped up to the challenge and proposed the boldest package of Vision Zero improvements in a decade:

• Faster Delivery of Safety Projects: Accelerates improvements on SW Wildwood Pl, 12th Ave S, Aurora Ave N, Rainier Ave S, MLK Jr Way S, and more high-crash streets.
• Safer Intersections: Improves visibility at intersections as a default policy (see graphic) and gives people walking and rolling a head-start at 40 more intersections.
• Reduced Speeding: Deploys automatic speed enforcement cameras at 4 new locations and uses traffic signals to reduce dangerous speeding.
• Safer Schools: Expand the School Streets program to 40% of eligible public schools, making it safer for students to walk, bike, and roll.
• Safer Vehicles: Develop stronger safety standards for City-owned vehicles and contractors, including equipment such as side guards and Intelligent Speed Assistance.
• Increased Power of the Vision Zero Team: Convenes an interdepartmental team that reports directly to the mayor on Vision Zero, grants the SDOT’s Chief Safety Officer the power to “streamline decision-making and project implementation that prioritizes Vision Zero solutions,” and reduces the Seattle Process via “expediting community engagement processes.”
• Greater Accountability: Update the Vision Zero Action Plan, create a public progress dashboard, and coordinate work across City departments.

In 2027, Streets Alliance will continue to be a champion for Vision Zero — pushing for the City to follow through, supporting neighborhood advocates fighting for safer streets, and keeping attention on the changes we know can save lives. We will continue to focus on supporting community efforts along Aurora Ave N and Rainier Ave S to fix Seattle’s top two most dangerous streets that have been neglected for too long.

Read the full story.

Connecting Seattle’s Bike Network

We made significant strides advancing our vision for a connected and accessible bike network.

When Streets Alliance was founded as Seattle Neighborhood Greenways 15 years ago, there were no protected bike lanes or neighborhood greenways in the city. Today, there are 31 miles of protected bike lanes and 55 miles of greenways. But major gaps remain, and our advocacy continues to make sure everyone has a safe way to bike or scoot to where they need to go.

This year we’re celebrating:

• The completion of the Yesler Way gap (before and after, pictured above) connecting the waterfront and Pioneer Square.
• The completion of the 4th Ave protected bike lane extension to Seattle Center.
• The new protected waterfront route around Elliott Bay from Interbay to Alki and the years of community advocacy that made it possible.
• The completion of S Henderson St bike lanes and pedestrian improvements, a major improvement for Southeast Seattle connecting the Rainier Beach light rail station to three schools, a community center and pool, library, and beach.
• The launch of a new phase of our UnGapTheMap campaign to encourage SDOT to build out priority pieces of the citywide bike network, and they have begun work on 12th Ave S connecting Little Saigon and Capitol Hill.

In 2027, we will continue to push to complete key bike connections. These include the spine of Beacon Hill — without compromising the walkability of the current trail — South Park, and gaps connecting the University and Fremont bridges. We will also celebrate new bike lanes on Eastlake Ave E, which will create a major new protected bike route connecting Roosevelt to South Lake Union on the east side of the lake.

Read the full story.

Piloting People Streets

We built momentum for streets where people can gather, play, build community, support small businesses, and enhance the quality of our lives.

PUSHING FOR A PEOPLE-FIRST PIKE PLACE

Seattleites love Pike Place Market, but hate unnecessary traffic pushing through the middle of it. That’s why we have been working for years to give a voice to the public’s vision to make Pike Place a better experience for everyone — people walking, rolling, loading/unloading goods, and shopping, by restricting general-traffic and opening up opportunities such as more vendors, seating, art, music, or load zones.

The good news is that overall the pedestrian pilot has been a success:

• Visitation is up
• Commercial sales grew
• 98% of people like it

But stiff opposition remains. In 2027, we will continue to organize for a Pike Place Market that can thrive year-round without car traffic.

Read more in our Urbanist op-ed.

BRINGING A PEDESTRIAN STREET TO EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD

Our vision is that community members will be empowered to create a “People Street” in the heart of every neighborhood — vibrant places to gather, play, build community, support small businesses, and enhance the quality of our lives.

This year, we ramped up support for locally-led campaigns across the city by providing neighborhood organizers with policy and organizing expertise, citywide coalition building, and communications and media support:

• D1: Alki Point, SW Lander St
• D2: S Estelle St Gardens
• D3: Barbara Bailey Way, Destination Pike
• D4: The Ave, 42nd Green Street
• D5: Home Zones and and Lake City Low Pollution Neighborhood
• D6: Ballard Ave
• D7: Crockett Plaza, Bell St

In 2027, we look forward to supporting these projects and making further progress towards envisioning streets as community places, not just pass-throughs.

CREATING A LAKE WASHINGTON BOULEVARD FOR EVERYONE

Lake Washington Boulevard is not just a street — it's one of Seattle’s greatest parks. Seattle families enjoy walking, biking, rolling, swimming, pleasure drives, and more along the 3-mile public shoreline between Mount Baker Beach and Seward Park.

This year, our Lake Washington Boulevard advocacy led the Mayor to expand Bicycle Weekends to every summer weekend through Labor Day, for the first time since 2019. We also partnered with Rainier Valley Safe Streets for a Lake Washington Boulevard Bash on August 15.

In 2027, we will continue to push to make the Boulevard safer and more welcoming for everyone, and ensure a strong, consistent Bicycle Weekends schedule.