Broadview-Thomson K-8 School, at 13052 Greenwood Ave. N., is one of four Seattle schools to receive school zone speed cameras to increase student safety.
The cameras went live on Thursday. Besides Broadview-Thomson, the cameras were installed at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School, Olympic View Elementary School and Gatewood Elementary School.
The sites were chosen after Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) analyzed 50 schools where they had installed flashing beacons to encourage drivers to go the speed limit through the school zone, and determined those four school zones would get the most benefit from reduced speeds and better speed enforcement.
The cameras will only issue tickets when the school zone yellow beacons are flashing (during school hours). A written warning period will be in effect from November 1st to November 26th. During the written warning period only warning citations will be mailed to violators caught speeding in the listed school zones.
Starting on Monday, November 26th, which is the day kids return from Thanksgiving break, actual citations (tickets) will be mailed to motorists who disregard the speed limit in the monitored school zones. The fine amount will be a fixed $189.00, the same cost as a ticket that would otherwise be issued by an officer.
The goal of this program is not to issue tickets, but to improve safety and reduce collisions by raising awareness that speeding in school zones is particularly dangerous for children and pedestrians.
The Seattle Police Department encourages all motor vehicle operators and bicyclists to be familiar with and obey all local and state traffic laws and to always drive with due regard for all others on the roadway.