Seattle Department of Transportation
SDOT has operated with insufficient public scrutiny relative to its budget and policy impact. This package assembles six research deliverables to provide Seattle residents, businesses, and policymakers with the data necessary to evaluate whether SDOT is serving the full public or a narrow set of advocacy interests.
Per-capita transportation spending comparison: Seattle vs. Portland, Denver, Austin, Minneapolis. Where does the money go. Modal split analysis relative to spending allocation.
Scope: SDOT adopted budget, peer city DOT budgets, Census population data
Actual ridership counts on protected bike lanes vs. projected usage at the time of approval. Cost per rider per corridor. Seasonal variation. Counter data from SDOT's own sensors.
Scope: SDOT bike counter data, project approval documents, ridership projections
Revenue changes for businesses on redesigned corridors. Loading zone elimination counts. Customer access surveys. No economic impact study was conducted before implementation on Eastlake or comparable projects.
Scope: Business surveys, loading zone inventory, DOR tax data where available
350+ on-street parking spots removed across downtown corridors. Map overlay with affected businesses. Replacement parking analysis (or lack thereof).
Scope: SDOT project records, street parking inventories, GIS mapping
Campaign contributions to city council members. SDOT advisory board appointments. Public comment participation rates vs. general population. Staff movement between Cascade and SDOT.
Scope: PDC filings, SDOT advisory committee rosters, public comment records, LinkedIn
Fire engine clearance on narrowed corridors. SFD response time data on redesigned streets. Incident reports where access was impeded. If an engine cannot get through, people die.
Scope: SFD response time data, apparatus clearance specs, SDOT street cross-sections