The Seattle Department of Transportation says speeding trends and equity prioritization of new enforcement locations using the city’s Composite Racial and Social Equity Index back a plan to add 19 new school safety zone cameras across the city.
No Capitol Hill area public or private schools made the city’s list for implementing new camera zones. The area is categorized at the lowest priority in the city’s equity rankings.
The list comes as the Seattle City Council is shaping the city’s 2025 budget. Mayor Bruce Harrell included funding for expanding the city’s school zone camera program in his 2025 budget proposal.
SDOT says the funding would double the number of cameras in the city including existing speed cameras near Montlake Elementary and Garfield High School. CHS reported here in 2022 as the new camera system was put in place along 23rd near Garfield.
The camera enforcement of 24th Ave E speeders near Montlake Elementary doles out nearly 10,000 tickets a year making it the most prolific installation in the city. It has been turned off in recent months as Montlake has been closed for construction of its $65 million renovation.
The cameras are part of a growing system of automated traffic enforcement in Seattle including cameras to bust transit lane violators and drivers who “block the box.” Seattle Police, meanwhile, no longer makes stops for “low-risk” traffic violations like expired tabs as part of an effort to address concerns about biased policing as officials also look for ways to stretch SPD’s thinning resources.
Pending approval of the 2025 budget, the new school zone cameras would be installed in two phases with the first batch completed by mid-2025 and the rest by the end of the year.
List of planned new cameras near schools in Seattle (Phases 1 and 2)
| Phase | School | Street | Morning Schedule* | Afternoon Schedule* |
| Phase 1 | Rainier Valley Leadership Academy | Rainier Ave S (S Spencer St to S Kenny St) | 7:50AM-8:40AM | 3:20PM-4:00PM |
| Phase 1 | Bertschi Elementary School | 10th Ave E (E Boston St to E Lynn St) | 7:35AM-8:30AM | 2:35PM-3:35PM |
| Phase 1 | St Matthew School K-8 | 15th Ave NE (NE 125th St to NE 130th St) | 7:45AM-8:35AM | 2:50PM-3:30PM |
| Phase 1 | Our Lady of the Lake School K-8 | 35th Ave NE (NE 88th St to NE 91st St) | 7:55AM-8:35AM | 2:50PM-3:30PM |
| Phase 1 | West Seattle High School | California Ave SW (SW Hanford St to SW Stevens St) | 7:15AM-8:05AM 8:10AM-9:00AM | 2:15PM-2:55PM 3:30PM-4:10PM |
| Phase 1 | Nathan Hale High School | 35th Ave NE (NE 105th St to NE 113th St) | 8:10AM-9:00AM 8:15AM-9:05AM | 3:30PM-4:10PM 3:35PM-4:15PM |
| Phase 1 | Hamilton Middle School | Wallingford Ave N (N 40th St to N 42nd St) | 8:15AM-9:05AM | 3:35PM-4:15PM |
| Phase 1 | Hazel Wolf K-8 | Roosevelt Way NE (NE 115th St to NE 117th St) | 8:15AM-9:05AM | 3:15PM-3:55PM |
| Phase 2 | West Woodland Elementary | NW Market St (NW 55th St to 7th Ave NW) | 8:15AM-9:05AM | 3:15PM-3:55PM |
| Phase 2 | West Woodland Elementary | 3rd Ave NW (NW 55th St to NW 60th St) | 8:15AM-9:05AM | 3:15PM-3:55PM |
| Phase 2 | Alki Elementary | SW Admiral Way (60th Ave SW to 57th Ave SW) | N/A – 2025 Interim Site | N/A – 2025 Interim Site |
| Phase 2 | Bryant Elementary | 35th Ave NE (NE 57th St to NE 62nd St) | 7:15AM-8:40AM | 2:15PM-3:30PM |
| Phase 2 | View Ridge Elementary | NE 70th St (45th Ave NE to 50th Ave NE) | 8:15AM-9:05AM | 3:15PM-3:55PM |
| Phase 2 | View Ridge Elementary | NE 75th St (45th Ave NE to 50th Ave NE) | 8:15AM-9:05AM | 3:15PM-3:55PM |
| Phase 2 | Viewlands Elementary | 3rd Ave NW (NW 103rd St to NW 110th St) | 7:15AM-8:05AM | 2:15PM-2:55PM |
| Phase 2 | Greenwood Elementary | 3rd Ave NW (NW 83rd St to NW 79th St) | 7:15AM-8:05AM | 2:15PM-2:55PM |
| Phase 2 | John Rogers Elementary | NE 110th St (38th Ave NE to Alton Ave NE) | N/A – 2025 Interim Site | N/A – 2025 Interim Site |
| Phase 2 | BF Day Elementary | Fremont Ave N (N 38th St to N 41st St) | 7:15AM-8:05AM | 2:15PM-2:55PM |
| Phase 2 | TOPS K-8 | Boylston Ave E (E Lynn St to E Roanoke St) | 7:15AM-8:05AM | 2:15PM-2:55PM |
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Wow. That’s over $2 million just from the Montlake camera? I always wondered if there was an incentive to physically slow down the whole street instead of fining people who obviously have no idea the speed zone or cameras are there. Now I know. Seems 10,000 tickets a year means the trap isn’t protecting kids, just raising funds.
As a former crossing guard, I’m all for chronic school zone speeders getting dinged, but traffic calming measures would be far more helpful in getting everyone to *actually slow down*, which is a higher priority than punishing them after the fact. Speed bumps, roundabouts, marked crosswalks, 4-way stops, etc. Even better – and I could be wrong – I think those measures would be less expensive than cameras.
So we’re not even pretending these cameras are about safety anymore? Or do we not care if poor kids get run over by speeding cars?
“No Capitol Hill area public or private schools made the city’s list for implementing new camera zones. ”
Bertschi School (north Capitol Hill) is on the list.
Have they closed the enormous loophole where you say someone else was driving and they’re not allowed to check the camera to see if you were fibbing? Until they do it’s just an honesty tax.
Nope – see the section “Declaration of non-responsibility”:
https://kingcounty.gov/en/court/district-court/courts-jails-legal-system/traffic-vehicle-citations/photo-enforced
In Seattle it’s not classified as a moving violation so it’s assessed to the registered owner of the car (like a parking ticket) regardless of who was driving it.
The good news is people will just scoot a block over onto narrow residential streets and continue to drive 40-50mph. But hey, ticket revenue!
so do you have a solution or just complaining
patrols, enforcing actual traffic laws vs just installing cameras, yeah. Ticketing here is down 83% since pre covid and it isnt because everyone is driving so much better.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/29/upshot/traffic-enforcement-dwindled.html
How about you, smartass?
Sounds like street design generally speaking needs to be changed then. Maybe the braniacs at SDOT can hear from you.
I live on a narrow street that already has parked cars on both sides, traffic calming mini roundabouts on both ends and two speed bumps… People still treat it like the Indianapolis speedway… The speed bumps would need to be speed mountains that would tear out the bottom of cars if approached too fast before people would actually slow down.