(The Center Square) – Seattle City Councilmembers Alex Pedersen and Lisa Herbold are proposing a bill that would establish more automated traffic safety cameras and designate six restricted street racing zones.
The cameras would be implemented in walk areas, public park zones, hospital zones and restricted racing zones, if passed by the full Seattle City Council. The proposed bill would also designate restricted racing zones in parts of West Seattle including Harbor Avenue and by Alki Beach, and near and inside Magnuson Park.
Herbold said in a Transportation and Seattle Public Utilities Committee meeting that for several years as a councilmember, she has heard from West Seattle residents about dangerous street drag racing that are “regularly audible.” Herbold added that the Seattle Police Department struggles to reach drivers engaging in drag racing.
“It is not safe to pursue those racers and having fewer officers now makes it even more difficult,” Herbold said.
Pedersen added that his office received many emails about the high volume of drag racing occurring in the city’s north precinct.
The council bill does not have any estimates for the costs in implementing more traffic cameras and establishing restricted street racing zones. Camera systems are provided through third-party vendors and managed by the Seattle Police Department.
According to Seattle Central Staff Analyst Calvin Chow, the city sends 20% of revenue generated by red light cameras to the School Safety and Traffic Improvement fund. School zone enforcement cameras send 100% of revenue to the fund as well.
The City of Seattle first began the use of camera enforcement at red lights in 2006 after authorization by the State of Washington. The use of cameras expanded for school zones in 2012, and block-the-box intersection and transit-only lane enforcement in 2022.
Camera enforcement was also used to enforce traffic restrictions on the Spokane Street Swing Bridge during the closure of the West Seattle Bridge from 2020 to 2022.
Seattle’s 2023- 2024 Adopted Budget also provided $3.2 million in funding for the Seattle Police Department to develop a plan to double the number of cameras deployed in school zones from 35 to 70 cameras.
Last year, Washington state expanded the use of automated cameras to cover speed limit violations in walk areas, public park speed zones, hospital speed zones and other priority road safety locations, including restricted racing zones designated by local ordinances. The new proposal would amend the Seattle Municipal Code to include the new camera authority.
