Friday Roundtable: New Speed Cameras

The north mile of Rainier Ave has seen 152 crashes in the past three years. Despite the 25mph speed limit, SDOT has measured vehicles traveling up to 80mph.

On Wednesday, SDOT announced four new speed cameras will be installed across Seattle in 2027. These four cameras are the first of 10 cameras that will be installed by March 2029, per Mayor Wilson's Vision Zero executive order. The selected locations were chosen as they are some of the most dangerous sections of Seattle's road network. Speed cameras cannot replace full road redesigns, but they are an effective temporary measure until a concrete redesign is implemented. The four cameras will be installed at:

• Rainier Ave S (northbound between S Holgate St and S Jackson St)
• E Marginal Way S (between S Fidalgo St and Diagonal Ave S)
• Rainier Ave S (between S Norfolk St and 51st Ave S)
• Sand Point Way NE (between NE 74th St and Matthews Ave NE)

These broad sections will be narrowed down to the exact camera locations over the next few months. Signs warning drivers of the cameras will be installed 30 days before the cameras are turned on. Once the cameras are enabled, they will only issue warnings for the first 30 days.

The four locations chosen for this initial batch of speed cameras are hotspots for dangerous driving. SDOT data show these sections have an 85th percentile speed more than 10mph above the speed limit. While a 5mph or 10mph difference may be insignificant to a driver, faster speeds are much more deadly. A 2011 study found that someone has a 70% higher chance of being killed by a vehicle traveling at 30mph versus at 25mph. Over the last three years, the four sections have collectively had 305 crashes that caused 138 injuries and 3 fatalities.

The four new cameras will join a growing network of red light cameras, school speed safety cameras, block the box cameras, and bus lane cameras. These cameras are not used for any purposes other than traffic safety. From SDOT: State law requires that traffic safety cameras may only film when they detect a traffic violation. The video cannot be used as evidence to prosecute other kinds of crimes aside from speeding."

Map of existing traffic cameras. New cameras will be added somewhere along the green lines. (SDOT)

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