Published April 4 2025
The City Council received an update Tuesday on Bellevue’s Vision Zero initiative, including actions for this year as the city works toward the goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious-injury collisions on city streets by 2030.
The 2025 Vision Zero Action Plan outlines a comprehensive list of actions that aim to leverage federal and state funds to plan and design safety projects, implement engineering strategies, integrate new technologies, and foster a strong road safety culture across the city. The effort includes testing new traffic signal technologies, reviewing the city’s automated speed enforcement camera program and conducting two Road Safety Audits. Community members can sign up to participate in a walking audit on May 31 in BelRed or June 7 downtown to share their needs and experiences as to help design safer and more accessible infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the 2024 Vision Zero Progress Report highlights the achievements made over the past year to enhance safety on Bellevue streets for all road users. In 2024, the city secured more than $15.7 million in federal and state grants to support safe transportation projects, constructed over 12,000 feet of sidewalk and adopted a 20-mph speed limit on local streets citywide.
Each year, the city produces a progress report to document accomplishments and road safety trends, along with an updated action plan. The plan actions cover eight strategies within the Safe System approach, including affordable solutions that can be implemented within a reasonable time frame.
The need for annual action plans was underscored in 2024, as Bellevue experienced the highest number of traffic-related fatalities (two) and serious-injury collisions (34) in the past decade. Between 2015 and 2024, a total of 232 people were seriously injured, and 22 people lost their lives in traffic collisions on Bellevue streets. Through Vision Zero and many other road safety initiatives, Bellevue recognizes that current road safety trends are unacceptable and that behind the statistics are real people – friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. Community members who want to join the effort to reach the Vision Zero goal can sign the Vision Zero pledge, a commitment to drive safely and avoid high-risk driving behaviors. To learn more about Vision Zero, visit BellevueWA.gov/visionzero.