In September, I wrote a blog post about the extensive renovations made to 9th Ave right outside of the Puyallup Fair. It was an expensive makeover that benefited fairgoers at the expense of city residents like you and me. I’d encourage you to give that piece a read. That said, it would be of disservice to you if I as a candidate or elected official were to pretend that our traffic and infrastructure problems start or end there. There is a chronic issue in this city at hand here, so let’s dive in.
Puyallup sits right in the middle of a critical north-south route that connects South Hill and Graham to cities in South King County. Thousands of cars use Puyallup streets every day as a pass-through to our more populous neighbors up north. That’s not going to change. But, we can manage it, and make this traffic problem more bearable for the folks who call this city home. We can make our commutes safer, smoother, and shorter. That’s going to require some smart infrastructure that needs to be championed on this council. I have a few ideas on how we can do that.
Roundabouts and Traffic Calming
When we talk about reducing traffic, one of the best tools cities have at their disposal is the roundabout. Unlike the dreaded four-way stop which slows traffic to a literal standstill, roundabouts keeps traffic flowing and they reduce accidents – cutting down on congestion and making your ride home from work shorter. We’ve seen cities across Pierce County, from Lakewood to Orting, implement more roundabouts in their urban planning, while Puyallup is falling behind.
Puyallup has some simple roundabouts within city limits now – check out the photo below I took on my bike as an example of what we have:
Beyond roundabouts, which are most effective for the prominent thoroughfares, we must expand traffic calming measures in residential streets. At the same time that we want to make our commutes easier, we also need to make our communities safer. Those improvements include speed bumps, curb extensions, slower speed limits, narrowed lanes and replacing dotted passing lines with double lines on neighborhood streets that are most prone to speeding violations. This isn’t just about convenience, it’s about protecting children playing in the street or walking to school – or bicyclists who aren’t protected against flying hunks of metal going 40 in a 25 mph zone. When traffic is forced to respect our neighborhoods, quality of life goes up.
Bringing State and Federal Grant Dollars Home
As I drive through our neighboring cities, I see the results of successful grant writing and urban planning advocacy. Across Pierce County you can see the implementation of these same innovative traffic engineering solutions I’m talking about – paid for with state and federal infrastructure dollars. Meanwhile, Puyallup has too often been left out of that conversation. In large part that’s due to a lack of initiative by city leaders. That’s left our streets stuck in the past century, and that is unacceptable to me. We need change and action.
If we’re going to solve our traffic challenges, we cannot rely on local revenue alone. We need to aggressively pursue federal and state transportation grants the same way our neighbors do. That outside investment can fund roundabouts, calming measures, and long-term projects that would otherwise be unaffordable. When elected, I’ll make it a priority to ensure Puyallup fights for and secures its fair share of those funds.
Long-Term Thinking
Too often, infrastructure changes in Puyallup have been piecemeal. Reactive solutions to these problems prove to be too little and too late. We need proactive infrastructure implementation. On city council, I will push for a comprehensive traffic engineering strategy that looks ahead to the next 10, 20, and 30 years. Growth in Pierce County and King County isn’t slowing down, and our city needs to adjust to accommodate the growth. Keeping our hands over our eyes will not make the problem go away. Investments we make today to create smarter intersections and safer streets will pay off for decades to come. They will also save the city money in the long run by reducing the need for expensive “emergency fixes” when intersections fail drivers.
My Commitment to Public Works Infrastructure
As your City Council representive in District 1, I will make infrastructure a top priority. It’s one of the reasons I was proud to receive the endorsement of the Puyallup Public Works Teamsters whose members staff our public works department. In association with city management, I’ll advocate for traffic solutions that are practical, proven, and community-focused. I will push for roundabouts and traffic calming measures where they make sense, pursue the federal and state dollars that will fund them, and build a long-term plan that anticipates growth rather than just reacting to it.
Traffic will always be a defining part of Puyallup’s story. But with the right leadership, we can ensure traffic in town brings revenue to our businesses more than it keeps us from getting where we’re going. Together, we can make it so that Puyallup streets work for Puyallup residents again.
Jeff Bennett for Puyallup City Council 
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