Road Safety Best Practices

These recommendations, arising from a public engagement process led by the local bicycle and pedestrian advocacy group Neighbors in Motion, were adopted via a City Council Proclamation in 2012. Click here to view full-text Resolution.

Best Pedestrian Practices

• Wear bright/reflective clothing, and use lights, when visibility is limited by darkness, rain or fog
• Walk predictably and cross at crosswalks or intersections
• When there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic
• Keep pets from darting into streets or across trails
• Stop, look and listen when crossing streets, roads or trails
• Use less than half of a walking trail or shoulder
• Avoid talking on cell phones or listening to music when walking or running in busy areas

Best Cycling Practices

• Wear a helmet and check your brakes
• Ride predictably and use hand signals
• Stay alert for other users
• Never use headphones, earbuds, or a Bluetooth device while riding
• Stop at all red lights, and school buses with flashing red lights
• Be alert at Yield Signs (note: as of Oct 2020, bicycle riders are now allowed to treat Stop Signs as Yield Signs when safe to do so)
• Ride no more than 2 abreast, and pull into a single line for motorists waiting to pass
• Move over onto paved shoulders when available and safe, if motorists are waiting to pass
• Please ride in groups of no more than 6 cyclists
• Pull over if more than 5 motorists are waiting to pass
• Use bicycle lights from dusk to dawn
• Wear brightly colored/reflective clothes
• Give 3 feet of space when passing pedestrians, and announce (or use bell) when passing from behind

Best Practices for Drivers

• Stay alert for cyclists and pedestrians at all times, and respect their right to use the road
• Expect the unexpected!
• Stay off the cell phone, it's illegal to use it while driving in WA
• Give at least 3 feet of space when passing a cyclist/pedestrian and give room for other users to avoid obstacles
• Avoid turning right in front of a cyclist who is going straight; instead turn behind them
• Look for cyclists before opening your door if parked along a street or road
• Stop for all pedestrians and cyclists in a crosswalk or waiting to use one; never pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk
• Look both ways for other users when entering an arterial from a side street or driveway
• Travel at 20mph or slower in school areas during school hours, and allow for the inexperience of children