Seattle City Councilmember Tammy J. Morales (District 2 – South Seattle) attended the groundbreaking of the MLK Way Safety Project this morning alongside Mayor Harrell, Seattle Department of Transportation Director Greg Spotts, and Sound Transit CEO Julie Timms. Councilmember Morales released the following statement about the groundbreaking: 

“These are life and death investments. More than half of all pedestrian deaths in Seattle happen right here in District 2. Just one week ago today, two women were killed by people driving in the South End, one on this very road and the other in SODO. 

I’m proud to see this project come to fruition after fighting for it for years. I’m proud of our community for standing up and demanding projects like this. However, it should not take years of struggle to get life-saving investments in the South End, while other projects in the North End are given priority. 

As the Week Without Driving comes to an end, we should celebrate this important victory. We should also call on the City of Seattle to commit itself to acting with urgency to make safety improvements where they’re needed most. One-in-three people do not drive. It’s well past time that we start prioritizing their safety.”