The City of Mount Rainier is committed to making our streets and roadways walkable, bikeable, sustainable, and safer. Last summer, the city hired Toole Design Group, a company specializing in designing innovative and pedestrian-focused streets, to lead a comprehensive study of our streets and sidewalks and endorse strategies for achieving these goals.
Public involvement is integral to completing the study. Residents were able to voice their opinions and recommendations through a Community Meeting held last September, online surveys, and focus-group discussions.
The results of the study were slated to be fully completed in March 2023, but the timeline has shifted after the City’s leadership reworked its contract with Toole Design Group to ensure the results of their study will best position us for federal funding through the Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets for All Grant Program (SS4A) which requires the creation of Vision Zero Task Force and development of Vision Zero Action Plan.
Vision Zero is a phrase used in projects and programs that aim to end all fatalities and injuries involving road traffic. The City of Mount Rainier’s Vision Zero Task Force, consisting of volunteer residents, elected officials, and city staff, was created in March 2023 to develop and endorse the creation of a Vision Zero Action Plan, consisting of actionable and measurable strategies to help us towards the bottom-line goal of safety for all on our streets and roadways. The Task Force will utilize Toole Design Group’s study as baseline data and will also meet with community members to know their opinions and priorities to develop the Vision Zero Action Plan.
Please see the Vision Zero Action Plan Schedule below:
May 11 (7 pm to 8:30 pm) – Vision Zero Task Force Meeting
May 13 (10 am to noon) - Toole Design will hold a Public Meeting to share with the community their broader findings to date and solicit the community for additional feedback.
May 25 (7 pm to 8:30 pm) – Vision Zero Task Force Meeting
May 30 – Work Session of Mayor and Council. Toole Design will consolidate all that feedback into a Vision Zero Action Plan to present to the Mayor and Council during the work session.
June 6 – Vision Zero Action Plan to be presented to the Mayor and Council during the Legislative Session.
June 30 – Final Vision Zero Action Plan
June to August - Priority Project Sketch and Multimodal Design Toolbox
The city must apply for the SS4A federal funding before the July 10, 2023, deadline. The funding will help us implement the plan and strategies to make our streets safer for all without relying heavily on the City’s funds.