Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey has certified a ballot initiative that would require voter approval to remove traffic lanes on streets in Vancouver.
The initiative needed 4,270 valid signatures from registered voters to be certified. Petition backers Save Our Streets gathered 6,572 total signatures and enough were valid for the initiative petition to move forward.
If passed, any changes to traffic lanes that result in the loss of a lane for vehicle travel will have to be approved by a majority of voters in Vancouver.
Grassroots group Save Our Streets took up the initiative in response to public outcry over major changes proposed for the city’s streets, including removing lanes along Southeast McGillivray Boulevard, Southeast 34th Street, Northeast 112th Avenue and other thoroughfares.
Residents have said they felt left out of the planning process and didn’t have a say. City officials say they have hosted open houses, conducted online surveys and engaged with businesses and residents near the projects.
Since the initiative effort began, some of those street changes have already been made.
The projects fall under the city’s Complete Streets Program, which was adopted in 2017 and aims to create a transportation network that is available to anyone regardless of how they commute.
Now that the signatures have been verified, the initiative will move forward.
According to the city charter, the Vancouver City Council must arrange for a public hearing on the initiative and decide whether to enact the change into law or reject it within 30 days. If the council rejects the initiative, it will go to a public vote in November.
Justin Wood, a member of Save Our Streets, said he expects voters to approve the measure. When canvassing, even people in support of the city’s road projects seemed supportive of the initiative.
“We’re not actually voting against roads or anything in particular,” Wood said. “We’re just voting for people to have a say.”
