Nearly three years of work came to a conclusion Sept. 21 when the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to pass the Pedestrian Master Plan.

The goal of the plan, which was put in motion by the council in January 2007, is to make Seattle the most walkable city in the nation.

"This is about a cultural change and continuing that push to recognize that transportation is more than just figuring out what happens in the middle of the roadway where the cars are," council member Sally Clark said during the vote.

The plan includes objectives, strategies and analysis that can help the city increase the safety of pedestrians and the vibrancy of walkable communities.

Council member Nick Licata said the plan will create better opportunities for citizens to walk and use transit to move about the city safely.

It will give the city a more comprehensive approach to creating new sidewalks in the future, he said.

"We can now make substantial progress in bringing sidewalks to that 30 percent of the city that does not have sidewalks on either side of the street," Licata said.

Council member Tim Burgess emphasized during the vote that the effort to recognize the goals of the Pedestrian Master Plan is just beginning.

It is important that the city continue to fund the projects under the plan as well as the related Bicycle Master Plan, he said.