EDMONDS — Starting next week, speeding through five school zones in Edmonds will cost you $130.
Following a grace period where drivers were issued warnings — but not tickets — the new system will start charging for speeding. Since the beginning of the year, police have issued 1,060 warnings for violations within the school zone, Edmonds police Cmdr. Josh McClure said.
Quick math suggests that’s over 30 violations in school zones per day since the cameras were installed by the city. That also includes distracted driving, not just surpassing the 20 mph speed limit.
“We’re hoping during this warning period, the word really gets out about the number of violations we’ve had and that increases safety through awareness by people slowing down. … We don’t want to issue violations,” McClure said. “The goal is to change people’s behavior in these school zones and hopefully have that transfer to their driving habits outside of the school zones as well.”
The school zones in Edmonds where cameras have been installed are:
• Southbound 76th Avenue W (south of 212th Street SW) at Edmonds-Woodway High School;
• Eastbound 212th Street SW (west of 76th Avenue W) at Edmonds-Woodway;
• Westbound 220th Street SW (west of 95th Avenue W) at Westgate Elementary School;
• Southbound 100th Avenue W (south of Highway 104) at Scriber Lake High School; and
• Southbound 84th Avenue W (south of 212th Street SW) at Chase Lake Elementary School
The point of the project is to provide safety for pedestrians, mostly kids, in those areas. The cameras are only active when warning beacons are lit. They coincide with school schedules.
From 2020 to 2022 in Snohomish County, 58 people died after being struck by cars while either “walking or rolling,” according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.
Walking or rolling refers to pedestrians, bikers and anyone else on non-motorized transportation, like skateboards or scooters.
Statewide, 147 people died in 2022 after being struck by a car. Snohomish County had the third-highest number of fatalities of all county’s in Washington. Only Pierce County and King County had more.
According to McClure, there is significant support for the project in Edmonds.
“My experience with this project is that overwhelmingly our community has been supportive of the reasons for it, which is to increase the safety of children going to and from school,” he said.
On Monday, police will start sending out tickets, instead of warnings.
Mukilteo also has traffic cameras, as does Everett.
Jordan Hansen: 425-339-3046; jordan.hansen@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jordyhansen.
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