Parents and their students have a variety of options for how they plan to get to school each day, which may include biking, walking, or rolling. Through the Safe Routes to School program, we partner with Seattle Public Schools to teach students the joys and health benefits of safe walking, rolling, and biking – and create an environment where they are able and encouraged to do so.  

Thank you, Seattle! Safe Routes to School projects are funded in part by your tax dollars through the Levy to Move Seattle. 

The Safe Routes to School program also provides ways to get involved and resources for families to check out, including: 

We have completed multiple Safe Routes to School projects to improve safety and accessibility for students and families funded by Levy to Move Seattle tax dollars. In 2021 alone, we completed 22 projects, as well as 5 out 9 planned projects in 2022.  

These projects include crossing improvements, flashing beacons, neighborhood greenways, and other efforts make people walking, rolling, or biking visible and comfortable on their way to school. 

More recently completed projects in 2022 include: 

Biking to school is a great way to get students familiar with routes and become comfortable cycling. Plan out routes that include Healthy Streets, Neighborhood Greenways, and School Streets, all which are either closed off, restricted, or with reduced speeds for drivers and help encourage biking, walking, and rolling.  

We recently released a new, refreshed Bike Guide that includes tips on family biking – how to teach your student to ride a bike, instructions on starting a bike train, and general biking guidelines to help ensure your student is confident and safe on their next ride.  

Use our Safe Routes to School maps to find the best biking, walking, or rolling route for you and your student. These maps display streets with and without sidewalks, locations of streets that are closed to cars, crossing guard and school patrol locations, crossing beacons, and more. 

As part of the Move Ahead Washington statewide transportation funding package, students aged 18 and younger can take public transit for free beginning on September 1. Many transit agencies across the Puget Sound will be participating in this program, including King County Metro.  

Riders are encouraged to show either a youth ORCA card or a current school ID to a driver – but it is not required to board for free. Students who have kept their youth ORCA card from the 2021-2022 school year can continue to use the card for boarding, and it will continue to work through June 30,2023. To learn more about this program, please visit FreeYouthTransitPass.com.  

Starting September 7, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) will turn on school zone safety cameras throughout Seattle. Cameras are located near schools throughout the city and will automatically send tickets to drivers photographed speeding in school zones. School zone safety cameras only operate when the school zone flashing beacons are on. Lights on signs will flash during school days during arrival and pickup times to warn drivers to slow down and keep students safe. Please follow the posted speed limit to avoid getting a ticket in the mail. 

There are currently 16 schools that have safety cameras throughout Seattle, and the City will be adding three new camera locations this September at Garfield High School, South Shore K-8, and Whittier Elementary. These cameras are meant to improve safety by encouraging drivers to reduce their speed.  

The speed limit is 20 MPH near schools and along residential streets that don’t have a dividing yellow center line. For most other arterial streets with a dividing center line or multiple lanes, the speed limit is typically 25 MPH, unless you see a sign specifically posted with a different speed limit. While driving slower may seem like an inconvenience, it often means a minimal increase in how long the average trip takes. If adding a couple minutes to your trip means avoiding a crash resulting in serious injury or death, it couldn’t be more worthwhile. As part of our Vision Zero goal, we are continuing to rebuild and redesign Seattle streets with various safety improvements. 

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Address: 700 5th Ave, Suite 3800, Seattle, WA, 98104 Mailing Address: PO Box 34996, Seattle, WA, 98124-4996 Phone: 206-684-7623

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is on a mission to deliver a transportation system that provides safe and affordable access to places and opportunities for everyone as we work to achieve our vision of Seattle as a thriving, equitable community powered by dependable transportation.