Seattle’s SDOT is doubling down on street safety with expanded school-zone cameras and a commitment to Vision Zero in their proposed budget.
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#SeattleKingCounty #WA #CitizenPortal #UrbanForestry #VisionZero #SeattleSafety #PublicSafety
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#SeattleKingCounty #WA #CitizenPortal #UrbanForestry #VisionZero #SeattleSafety #PublicSafety
SDOT says Vision Zero funding preserved; expands school‑zone cameras and cites safety priorities
SDOT told council Vision Zero and school‑zone camera programs remain funded in the proposed budget. The presentation noted 37 school speed‑zone cameras at 19 locations recently activated and said new King County tax revenue would help stave off reductions to urban forestry and bridge maintenance.
citizenportal.ai
September 29, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Seattle’s SDOT is doubling down on street safety with expanded school-zone cameras and a commitment to Vision Zero in their proposed budget.
Learn more here
#SeattleKingCounty #WA #CitizenPortal #UrbanForestry #VisionZero #SeattleSafety #PublicSafety
Learn more here
#SeattleKingCounty #WA #CitizenPortal #UrbanForestry #VisionZero #SeattleSafety #PublicSafety
Seattle's SDOT faces a staggering $178 million budget shortfall, prompting urgent cuts that could impact vital transportation services.
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#SeattleKingCounty #WA #CitizenPortal #SeattleTransportation #InfrastructureFunding #BudgetAccountability #PublicTransportation
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#SeattleKingCounty #WA #CitizenPortal #SeattleTransportation #InfrastructureFunding #BudgetAccountability #PublicTransportation
SDOT warns of steep transportation-fund shortfall, proposes $178M in year‑end shifts and multi‑year cuts
Acting SDOT Director Angela Brady and SDOT finance told the Select Budget Committee that declining flexible revenues require a 2026 year‑end supplemental and reductions across 2027–28. SDOT proposed $178 million in timing and appropriations adjustments and roughly $47.9 million of biennial reductions while preserving levy deliverables and Vision Zero funding.
citizenportal.ai
September 29, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Seattle's SDOT faces a staggering $178 million budget shortfall, prompting urgent cuts that could impact vital transportation services.
Get the details!
#SeattleKingCounty #WA #CitizenPortal #SeattleTransportation #InfrastructureFunding #BudgetAccountability #PublicTransportation
Get the details!
#SeattleKingCounty #WA #CitizenPortal #SeattleTransportation #InfrastructureFunding #BudgetAccountability #PublicTransportation
SDOT doesn't have the best history of managing money and most of these questions would be slam dunks if they had their shit together. I'm sure you're right about the subtext, given your history and expertise, but this clip makes them look unprepared for essentially "can you explain this" budget Qs.
September 29, 2026 at 4:48 AM
SDOT doesn't have the best history of managing money and most of these questions would be slam dunks if they had their shit together. I'm sure you're right about the subtext, given your history and expertise, but this clip makes them look unprepared for essentially "can you explain this" budget Qs.
Maybe because SDOT has prioritization frameworks that don't include "because a council member complained a lot"?
Strauss wants to know why all of his requests for improvements on small residential streets in Ballard have gone unfilled. SDOT director says they focus on arterials but still do things like traffic circles. Strauss asks again, "then how have all of my requests been denied over the last six years?'
September 29, 2026 at 3:23 AM
Maybe because SDOT has prioritization frameworks that don't include "because a council member complained a lot"?
I can think of several grants that SDOT has had to return in recent years because they didn't actually do the work. Who knows how many they didn't even apply for 🤷🏻♂️
Returning to SDOT's budget, which is what they're actually discussing, it's got a big structural problem, which is that they aren't bringing in enough money to fund all the projects they want to do. The options are cuts and higher taxes (both proposed in the budget), or fund transfers.
September 29, 2026 at 3:19 AM
I can think of several grants that SDOT has had to return in recent years because they didn't actually do the work. Who knows how many they didn't even apply for 🤷🏻♂️
editing/jumping in after the fact to add: Sand Point Way is getting one of the city's five brand-new automated enforcement speeding cameras. So SDOT is in fact paying attention to traffic safety in her district.
September 29, 2026 at 3:07 AM
editing/jumping in after the fact to add: Sand Point Way is getting one of the city's five brand-new automated enforcement speeding cameras. So SDOT is in fact paying attention to traffic safety in her district.
Official vehicles are among the worst and most predictable offenders. I’ve seen many Recology, Sound Transit, City Light, SDOT, SPU, PSE, etc. employees make this illegal turn.
September 29, 2026 at 2:53 AM
Official vehicles are among the worst and most predictable offenders. I’ve seen many Recology, Sound Transit, City Light, SDOT, SPU, PSE, etc. employees make this illegal turn.
Not sure I understand the backlash. He is asking about topics that SDOT doesn’t know about. About roundabouts and traffic calming that they can’t answer to.
I for one would like more traffic calming in residential areas. And I’m pretty happy he is bringing it up and not letting it get swept under.
I for one would like more traffic calming in residential areas. And I’m pretty happy he is bringing it up and not letting it get swept under.
September 29, 2026 at 2:41 AM
Not sure I understand the backlash. He is asking about topics that SDOT doesn’t know about. About roundabouts and traffic calming that they can’t answer to.
I for one would like more traffic calming in residential areas. And I’m pretty happy he is bringing it up and not letting it get swept under.
I for one would like more traffic calming in residential areas. And I’m pretty happy he is bringing it up and not letting it get swept under.
Amazing when the immediately preceding remark from Dir. Pennucci was "[...], but I don't think that our [SDOT] finance and budget team are the right people to be having this conversation with, in a budget presentation."
September 29, 2026 at 12:46 AM
Amazing when the immediately preceding remark from Dir. Pennucci was "[...], but I don't think that our [SDOT] finance and budget team are the right people to be having this conversation with, in a budget presentation."
I'm not sure why Strauss spent so much time humiliating the women who came to speak before his committee with questions that were basically unrelated to the budget, like why service on his bus route hasn't been restored. Felt bad for both SDOT and mayoral staffers.
September 29, 2026 at 12:12 AM
I'm not sure why Strauss spent so much time humiliating the women who came to speak before his committee with questions that were basically unrelated to the budget, like why service on his bus route hasn't been restored. Felt bad for both SDOT and mayoral staffers.
I just want to provide a little excerpt of what Strauss's condescending questioning of SDOT staff actually looked like today.
SDOT explains that funds for Third Ave are being transferred, and Strauss says this means the department thinks Third Ave is "in the state that it should be at this time."
SDOT explains that funds for Third Ave are being transferred, and Strauss says this means the department thinks Third Ave is "in the state that it should be at this time."
September 28, 2026 at 11:46 PM
I just want to provide a little excerpt of what Strauss's condescending questioning of SDOT staff actually looked like today.
SDOT explains that funds for Third Ave are being transferred, and Strauss says this means the department thinks Third Ave is "in the state that it should be at this time."
SDOT explains that funds for Third Ave are being transferred, and Strauss says this means the department thinks Third Ave is "in the state that it should be at this time."
Rob Saka, who deliberately created an SDOT District Project Fund that excludes the two city councilmembers who represent the entire city...really wishes Katie Wilson had proposed setting aside funding to continue the fund that included those two councilmembers.
Saka wants to know if Katie Wilson voluntarily added more funding for the District Project Fund that he himself created and added to the budget. Saka did not identify any ongoing funding source that program so...no.
September 28, 2026 at 11:14 PM
Rob Saka, who deliberately created an SDOT District Project Fund that excludes the two city councilmembers who represent the entire city...really wishes Katie Wilson had proposed setting aside funding to continue the fund that included those two councilmembers.
"We are designing things that are not safe," Strauss asserts, leading budget director Pennucci to point out that street design is far outside the scope of the annual budget. Yes, but I've brought this up with SDOT privately and been unsatisfied, Strauss responds.
September 28, 2026 at 11:09 PM
"We are designing things that are not safe," Strauss asserts, leading budget director Pennucci to point out that street design is far outside the scope of the annual budget. Yes, but I've brought this up with SDOT privately and been unsatisfied, Strauss responds.
Strauss said there was a "hard stop" at 4pm. It is 4:05pm. He has already stated that he's gotten many of these questions asked and answered in one-on-one discussions with SDOT staff.
September 28, 2026 at 11:06 PM
Strauss said there was a "hard stop" at 4pm. It is 4:05pm. He has already stated that he's gotten many of these questions asked and answered in one-on-one discussions with SDOT staff.
Then Strauss accused SDOT of "misrepresenting" some waterfront projects they're transferring to the Waterfront department. They explain that this money represents closeout of existing contracts, and that there's no misrepresentation.
September 28, 2026 at 11:04 PM
Then Strauss accused SDOT of "misrepresenting" some waterfront projects they're transferring to the Waterfront department. They explain that this money represents closeout of existing contracts, and that there's no misrepresentation.
This 2.5 hour budget discussion on SDOT is still going because Dan Strauss has decided to bring up every single grievance that he has with the department, including complaints around his own personal bus route.
He's going toward 11 on the prick scale, to be completely honest.
He's going toward 11 on the prick scale, to be completely honest.
September 28, 2026 at 11:04 PM
This 2.5 hour budget discussion on SDOT is still going because Dan Strauss has decided to bring up every single grievance that he has with the department, including complaints around his own personal bus route.
He's going toward 11 on the prick scale, to be completely honest.
He's going toward 11 on the prick scale, to be completely honest.
Later, Strauss reiterated the statement SDOT corrected earlier, saying, "the department is not putting forward with traffic circles or track roundabout, however you want to call it."
September 28, 2026 at 11:02 PM
Later, Strauss reiterated the statement SDOT corrected earlier, saying, "the department is not putting forward with traffic circles or track roundabout, however you want to call it."
The SDOT director says she'll look into it. Then he asked about "Greg Spotts' cultural connector work," referring to the former SDOT director's name for a new streetcar that would connect two existing lines through downtown. The council removed funding for that project in a previous budget.
September 28, 2026 at 11:00 PM
The SDOT director says she'll look into it. Then he asked about "Greg Spotts' cultural connector work," referring to the former SDOT director's name for a new streetcar that would connect two existing lines through downtown. The council removed funding for that project in a previous budget.
Strauss wants to know why all of his requests for improvements on small residential streets in Ballard have gone unfilled. SDOT director says they focus on arterials but still do things like traffic circles. Strauss asks again, "then how have all of my requests been denied over the last six years?'
September 28, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Strauss wants to know why all of his requests for improvements on small residential streets in Ballard have gone unfilled. SDOT director says they focus on arterials but still do things like traffic circles. Strauss asks again, "then how have all of my requests been denied over the last six years?'
Questions I did not expect to be asked during this SDOT budget discussion: "Did Greg Spotts' Culture Connector not work?"
September 28, 2026 at 10:55 PM
Questions I did not expect to be asked during this SDOT budget discussion: "Did Greg Spotts' Culture Connector not work?"
How is there a shortfall of general fund revenues to SDOT when the 2024 levy mandates a minimum transfer? Have they historically just appropriated above this minimum?
seattle.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=...
seattle.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=...
September 28, 2026 at 10:19 PM
How is there a shortfall of general fund revenues to SDOT when the 2024 levy mandates a minimum transfer? Have they historically just appropriated above this minimum?
seattle.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=...
seattle.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=...
As a reference, here is Bruce Harrell's proposal, which the council approved, including every single location that Rivera voted for.
sdotblog.seattle.gov/2024/10/10/s...
sdotblog.seattle.gov/2024/10/10/s...
Mayor Harrell’s One Seattle Budget proposal would double school safety zone cameras to support safer travel for Seattle students - SDOT Blog
Safety cameras enforce the speed limit in school zones and help protect our youngest residents near schools throughout the city of Seattle.
sdotblog.seattle.gov
September 28, 2026 at 10:17 PM
As a reference, here is Bruce Harrell's proposal, which the council approved, including every single location that Rivera voted for.
sdotblog.seattle.gov/2024/10/10/s...
sdotblog.seattle.gov/2024/10/10/s...
Requiring SDOT to do *more* outreach to businesses slows down project delivery.
Now Dan Strauss is joining the SDOT pile-on, saying that small businesses "aren't in the thought process" for the department. He's bringing up a project on NW Market Street from years ago.
September 28, 2026 at 10:10 PM
Requiring SDOT to do *more* outreach to businesses slows down project delivery.