Seattle’s industrial district in the south of the city is one of our nation’s busiest intermodal transportation hubs.  The interplay among ships, trains, and trucks exchanging cargo destined for U.S. points of delivery or export markets overseas churns incessantly day and night.  To someone new to the Pacific Northwest, the area South of Downtown –known locally as “SoDo”– would seem an unlikely first choice as an ideal spot for a relaxing bicycle ride or leisurely stroll. 

But an increasing number of bicyclists and pedestrians are looking for connections between SoDo and downtown, and finding ways to protect their safety as they navigate a sea of freight activity is important.

One year ago this week, Secretary Foxx announced the “Safer People, Safer Streets - Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Initiative,” and one of the first steps in that initiative called for DOT field offices to lead non-motorized traffic, road-safety assessments in cities across the country.  I am proud that the Washington State Division of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration answered that call, leading a DOT team with folks from NHTSA, FHWA, and FTA in an assessment of the safety challenges facing bicyclists and pedestrians along the SoDo commuter route.

Seattle’s SoDo area is a bustling, ocean seaport, serviced by two railroad yards and a never ending swirl of drayage trucks.  The area has also seen a marked expansion in automobile traffic.  There is competing demand for limited road space, which is frequently intersected with railroad tracks and –less frequently– prominently marked crosswalks for bicyclists and pedestrians.  The recent death of a bike rider in a crash involving a tractor-trailer has brought the area's safety challenges to the fore.

From the outset, the DOT team was determined to do more than just list the obstacles impeding safe biking and walking.  They were determined to involve as many public and private stakeholders in the assessment as possible and begin to outline paths to increased safety. 

Representatives from the state, the community, industry, academia, and the public at large shared a variety of perspectives, experiences, and expertise.  Intermodal freight mobility experts, roadway designers and engineers , transit officials, and bicycling advocates provided information and data, producing robust discussions on trucks, buses, and trains safely sharing SoDo roads with non-motorized traffic.  Assessment participants later experienced actual and virtual “ride-alongs” in large commercial vehicles and on bicycles to provide different perspectives and to spark fresh thinking on safety vulnerabilities and opportunities and strategies for safety improvements.

In all, the day-long assessment held last May brought together more than 100 diverse stakeholders.  While there were many lessons learned, a few stood out, including these three key observations:

• Non-motorized users –bicyclists and pedestrians– need to be separated from traffic wherever possible.
• High-quality road surfaces, intersections that promote high-visibility, ways to bypass railroad tracks, and logical “way-finding” signage for both bicycle riders and commercial vehicle drivers to follow would significantly enhance safety.
• Infrastructure needs to be designed in a way that improves predictability by all road-users.

DOT's Seattle assessment team, from left to right: Max Sevareid (NHTSA), Kirk Gillett (NHTSA), Jeremy Borrego (FTA), Jeff James (FMCSA), Brian Wood (Univ. of Washington graduate student)

What are the next steps for SoDo?  The city of Seattle’s Department of Transportation has recently placed its infrastructure upgrade plans on the table.

There is no question that the busy seaport is a critical driver, not just of Seattle's economy, but of the nation's.  And with freight demand expected to grow significantly as our population grows, it will remain as important as ever. 

And while that might seem at odds with the growing number of people looking for safe ways to commute to and from SoDo, the multimodal safety assessment team our Washington State Division led last May shared an important conclusion: with the right mix of transportation infrastructure, freight and non-motorized can coexist...and coexist safely.

To learn more about our Safer People, Safer Streets initiative, please visit www.transportation.gov.

Daphne Y. Jefferson is Deputy Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.