Bike crashes hit record highs in Shoreline
Bike crashes hit an all-time high in Shoreline last year. Total car crashes increased too, but the number of Fatal and Serious Injury declined.
The city of Shoreline released its Annual Traffic Report covering data for 2024 and the city council will talk about it on Monday, December 15.
According to the report, the total number of car crashes increased in 2024 compared to 2023 but Fatal and Serious Injury (FSI) Crashes dropped in 2024 to 8 crashes from a record high 17 crashes in 2023.
Drivers hit three fewer pedestrians last year, down slightly from a record-high of 23 pedestrian collisions to 20 in 2024.
Drivers hitting bicyclists hit on all time record in 2024. There were 15 car crashes involving a bike rider in 2024. In comparison, there were 4 bike riders hit by drivers in 2008.
For obvious reasons, when a driver hits a pedestrian or bicyclist, the non-drivers is more likely to be killed or seriously injured. Although pedestrians and bicyclists were involved in only 5% of total crashes, they accounted for 40% of all fatal and serious injury crashes over the past ten years, according to the traffic report.
The Traffic Report also includes data on which roads have the worst speeding and which intersections had the worst crashes. Speeding is a particular problem on 175th street. Earlier this year, the city said over 1,000 drivers per day violate the speed limit in front of Meridian Park Elementary while children are present and the 20 mph school zone lights are flashing.
Twenty five years ago, the state adopted a “Target Zero” goal to achieve zero fatal and serious injury crashes by the year 2030. Shoreline has yet to adopt a Target Zero goal.
The city council approved $395,000 in the current budget for the city’s Traffic Safety Improvement Program. In comparison, the city council recently spent $234,048 for the ShoreLights winter light display along Aurora Ave near city hall.
You can read the Shoreline 2024 Annual Traffic Report and provide public comment to the city council on the city’s website.
This is such a thoughtful update. I appreciate the link to comment. I cycled all over Seattle for years with my small child and Shoreline feels more dangerous even though that may not be true by numbers. I have a very short commute across a yellow zone according to this map. There are days I chose to drive rather than ride because of the timing of my commute and the car dominant culture. It may not be safer. The car aggression is real during commuting hours and I arrive to my destination with less anxiety without being on guard for 15 minutes. The hurry saddens me because this city has beautiful road neighborhood roads to ride through.
I find it remarkable that 180th has no color coding on that traffic map and I wonder if it's being measured at all. This map would have me believe that all the speeding happening on 175th and on 15th Ave somehow stops when folks turn onto 180th. (I can assure you that is not the case.)