SDOT, Harrell create ‘first of its kind’ framework to hit city’s zero-emission goals

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is creating and releasing a Climate Change Response Framework (CCRF) — a “first-of-its-kind” plan for the city of Seattle to reduce transportation emissions and further the goals within Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s One Seattle Transportation & Climate Justice Executive Order.

Harrell’s One Seattle plan contains four pillars — with environmental stewardship being one of them. The environmental section of the plan is to protect and improve the quality of the local natural environment in and around Seattle. This recently released framework will help the SDOT and other city officials keep pace, and on track with the myriad of eco-friendly projects One Seattle is embarking on over the next 12 years.

“At SDOT, we have a responsibility to make Seattle a more walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly, and climate-resilient city,” wrote Caryn Walline, the deputy director of communications and public engagement. “Since transportation emissions are the No. 1 source of climate pollution in Seattle, we have a big role to play to mitigate the local effects of climate change.”

Buses, bus lanes to become more eco-friendly

Through the CCRF, the SDOT and Mayor Harrell will also continue to invest in a network of bus priority lanes on major arterials through Seattle Transit Measure and Move Seattle Levy. The Seattle Transit Measure is a 0.15% sales tax that has been in place since 2020, generating roughly $39 million annually through 2026 to fund several transit public transportation projects.

“Our goal is to encourage the use of electric vehicles for as many of those trips as possible,” SDOT wrote in a public release. “We are leading by example with our own fleet electrification and by partnering with other city departments, organizations, and communities to install charging infrastructure and offer innovative and equitable incentives.”

In 2020, the King County Council unanimously approved the conversion of metro buses and other county vehicles to be all-electric by 2035. King County Metro expects to have more than 2,000 battery-electric and electric trolley buses in use over the next 20 years, according to its website.

Improving efficiency of freight deliveries

The city of Seattle found the Duwamish Valley — the region’s largest cluster of freight-related jobs and activities — has approximately 4,000 diesel drayage trucks serving both the Ports of Tacoma and Seattle, creating some of the heaviest pollution in Washington despite these trucks driving very short distances.

“The City of Seattle’s Heavy Duty Vehicle Electrification Incentive Pilot aims to bring new electric drayage trucks to the Duwamish Valley in the next two years, with the potential to scale as new federal and state incentives grant programs are developed and implemented,” SDOT wrote on its website.

A total of $1.7 million will be made available in funding to replace the delivery trucks with battery-electric class 8 tractor-trailer trucks.

“For years, Seattle’s community-based organizations in the Duwamish Valley have called for the electrification of drayage trucks to address the problem of harmful diesel emissions in the neighborhood,” SDOT continued.

People living in the 98108 ZIP code, which includes the Duwamish Valley and Beacon Hill, are nearly four times more likely to end up in the hospital with asthma than King County residents overall, University of Washington epidemiologist Anjum Hajat reported, according to KUOW.

Encouraging less driving, more healthy streets

The CCRF also has intentions to update the Bicycle Master Plan Implementation Plan. Both Harrell and SDOT Director Greg Spotts plan to create approximately 20 miles of healthy streets — a road closed to through traffic but open to people walking, rolling, biking, and playing — within the city. The goal of healthy streets is to open up more space for people rather than cars, improving community and individual health.

More on healthy streets and bike lanes: Dangerous drivers create difficult commute for Seattle biking community

“We are already working on solutions and have many of the tools needed to reduce our climate impact,” Walline continued. “Now is the time to build and accelerate our climate work, especially to benefit historically underserved communities who are already facing disproportionate climate impacts like extreme heat and more frequent urban flooding. A response centered on climate justice requires us to co-create solutions with [the] community.”

Just 25 mega-cities produce 52% of the world’s urban greenhouse gas emissions, a study from Frontiers in Sustainable Cities found in 2021. Stationary energy and transportation were the two main sources of carbon emissions.

“Most emissions in Seattle come from short trips under three miles,” Walline wrote. “We are working with communities to design our streets and provide programs to make it easy and safe to take transit, bike, roll or walk these short distance trips much more often.”

Seattle also joined the nationwide movement coined National Week Without Driving. It started Monday and extends through Sunday. During this week, cities are encouraged to find alternative ways to help residents travel throughout the city without the use of a car in an effort to lower an individual’s carbon footprint and outline the gaps in public transportation.

“Approximately 25% of the population face significant barriers to mobility such as inadequate sidewalks, poor transit, lack of connectivity and dangerous roads,” America Walks wrote in a statement. “The needs of non-drivers are too often disregarded in transportation infrastructure and policies. Our goal should be a transportation system designed to support all individuals, regardless of ability, age, or income, that will strengthen our communities and enhance our quality of life.”

King County Council proclaimed this week as a ‘Week Without Driving’ and is encouraging residents across the region to participate by trying not to drive all week.