Seattle plans to double school zone speed cameras next year
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A sign informing drivers of school zone photo enforcement near Garfield High School. Photo: Melissa Santos/Axios
Seattle plans to double the number of school zones that have automated cameras set up to catch drivers speeding, a traffic violation that costs $237 per ticket.
The big picture: The planned addition of school zone cameras in 19 more locations is part of Seattle's push to end traffic deaths and serious traffic-related injuries on city streets by 2030.
Catch up quick: The city's 2025-26 budget, which Mayor Bruce Harrell signed into law last week, includes $1.2 million to install the additional cameras by the end of 2025.
By the numbers: The city currently has automated traffic cameras set up around 18 schools, according to a blog post from the Seattle Department of Transportation.
- Most of the 19 locations identified for new cameras are in north Seattle. View Ridge Elementary and West Woodland Elementary are expected to have cameras installed along multiple approaches.
What they're saying: "Automated enforcement cameras are a proven way to address dangerous and illegal speeding that endangers the lives of our students," Harrell said in a written statement shared with Axios.
- The goal, Harrell added, is to "change driver behavior through consistent enforcement."
How it works: Where the cameras operate, they're active while the yellow beacons mounted to school zone speed limit signs are flashing.
- That's typically in the mornings when kids are arriving at school and in the afternoons when students are heading home.
- Drivers need to slow down to 20 miles per hour — the speed limit in all school zones, including those without cameras — to avoid getting a ticket in the mail.
Between the lines: Transportation officials analyzed speeding trends to help them determine the new camera locations, per SDOT.
- Locations that already had flashing beacons but where they "were not sufficiently slowing speeds" were given priority, per the agency's blog post.
What's next: City transportation officials plan to do community outreach in the schools and neighborhoods where the cameras are going up, plus finish design work, before installing the cameras next year.