Seattle mayoral candidate to ‘always put safety of pedestrians before drivers'

On the day that a new traffic study revealed Seattle as the 11th worst city for drivers in the nation, two mayoral candidates are talking about their plans to alleviate transportation issues.

Tonight on KIRO 7 at 7, we take you in-depth on these traffic issues and give you new ideas for cutting your commute now. Watch on-air or online here.

Here’s what we know now from plans released online this afternoon.

Cary Moon's plan

Candidate Cary Moon, an urban planner and engineer, held a news conference on Wednesday laying out her plans on increasing access to light rail and bus transit.

Scroll down to keep reading.

Mayor's race headlines 

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• Seattle hasn't had a female mayor in 91 years, but that will soon change
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• Durkan, Moon clash over experience in Seattle Rotary appearance
• Cary Moon wants Seattle to prioritize climate change 

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She believes that the lack of transit options are leading commuters to drive cars, thus adding to congestion in rush hour.

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Moon, who has lived mostly car-free since 1994, claims to use transit, walk, or bike most of the time. And she wants to make it safer for people who use those options.

“Frankly, our city spends too much on car convenience – that’s why there are too many cars on the road. We need to keep shifting the culture of SDOT towards expanding choices for people and goods, and safety for all users --and away from “level of service” targets for cars,” she wrote in her plan. “I will always put the safety and needs of pedestrians before drivers.”

Read Moon’s full plan on how she wants to tackle what she calls the root causes of Seattle’s traffic here.

Jenny Durkan’s plan

Like Moon, candidate Jenny Durkan, a U.S. attorney, also calls for more transit options and wants to accelerate light rain expansion with Sound Transit.

Durkan previously outlined her ideas in a section on her campaign website, noting too many cars are on the city streets and that they are a challenge to climate goals. She wrote that finding safer options and create a balance for the needs of all commuters.

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“Our streets have been designed with only the car in mind. We need to shift the paradigm and create a balance for the needs of all users of our streets, especially those on foot and bicycle,” Durkan’s plan reads.

“It has become common practice to make safety improvements only after traffic incidents have occurred. My goal will be to make improvements that prevent accidents.”

Read Durkan’s full plan on what she calls an equitable transportation agenda.

Cox Media Group