Neighbors and Seattle’s City Hall have begun the process of doing something about the conditions that led to the death of Capitol Hill resident Max Richards who died last week after being hit by a driver while crossing the sloping street at Belmont Ave E and Bellevue Place E.

Completing a legislative process begun long before the 79-year-old was killed, Seattle safe streets advocates celebrated the City Council’s passage Monday afternoon of new rules that will drop the speed limit by five miles per hour to 25 MPH on many arterials across the central city including Broadway, Pike, Pine, and Madison. Meanwhile, the speed limit will drop to 20 mph on 2,400 miles of non-arterial streets across the city. Under the approved changes, around 500 new speed limit signs will be installed. The city would then enter a warning period before police officers begin enforcing the new speeds. The move is part of Mayor Ed Murray’s Vision Zero plan to end traffic deaths by 2030.

The new rules won’t apply to the busy Belmont Ave E route where Richards was hit by a driver while walking his dog Wednesday morning, September 21st. But a Seattle Department of Transportation official says a traffic study will be done at the intersection to provide engineers with data to assess the traffic flow in the area and possible safety changes.

City of Seattle officials, meanwhile, have been silent about the death even as Monday’s speed limit legislation was passed. Mayor Murray did not mention Richards in his discussion of street safety investments during Monday’s address on the 2017 budget proposal. Meanwhile, District 3 representative Kshama Sawant has also not publicly addressed Richards’ death. UPDATE 9/28/2016: Following this post, Sawant posted messages of condolence — and said her office is joining the call for crosswalks:

Our condolences to friends & family of Max Richards. We absolutely have to work to end pedestrian fatalities. https://t.co/z00N0wYI5p — Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama) September 28, 2016

Neighbors are pushing ahead for more. A petition started by Lucas Thornblade is asking for community support for the creation of marked crosswalks at the intersection:

We, the undersigned, are residents and business owners of the community near this intersection.

We believe:

-that this intersection (Belmont Ave E & Bellevue Pl E) is unsafe for pedestrians because there is no marked crosswalk

-that vehicles have poor visibility of persons on foot or bicycle

-that vehicles often drive at speeds in excess of the posted 25 MPH limit

-that because of the steep grade, crossing at an alternate location is difficult for those with limited mobility

-and that, despite implied crossing rights at this intersection, vehicles regularly fail to yield to those waiting to cross

We petition the SDOT to:

-urgently reevaluate the need for safe pedestrian crossing at this intersection (Belmont Ave E & Bellevue Pl E)

-install striped pedestrian crosswalks at this intersection

-consider the addition of In-Roadway Warning Lights (IRWL) at this intersection

-consider the addition of pedestrian crossing signs at this intersection

“Please help us to make this a safer part of our neighborhood,” the petition concludes. You can add your name to the petition here.

Advocate group Central Seattle Greenways is also hoping to work with Richards’ wife to organize a memorial walk recognizing the life of the professor of English literature and “ask the City to fund the safety improvements required to achieve the Vision Zero goal of no fatalities or serious injuries on our streets by 2030.” The group, unfortunately, has become quite experienced at organizing similar events across Seattle.

UPDATE 9/29/2016: A memorial walk for Richards will take place Sunday, October 2nd:

Memorial Walk for Max Richards

Sunday, 10/2/2016 from 1 to 3 PM

Bellevue Pl E and Belmont Ave E

Max Richards was killed crossing at Bellevue and Belmont on Wednesday morning, September 21. Max was walking his dog in a legal crossing. We want to make sure this crossing and every crossing in Capitol Hill is safe for people who walk. We will gather at the place where Max was killed. We’ll stop and remember Max, then walk to Cal Anderson Park to discuss ideas for how we can make streets better for walking on Capitol Hill. Along the way you can get to know your neighbors and hear about their stories about the difficulty of walking around Capitol Hill.