Thousands Of Kirkland Drivers Are Speeding Through School Zones

KIRKLAND, WA — Kirkland's experiment with traffic cameras in school zones is going well — and by that we mean the cameras are catching lots of drivers violating school zone speed limits.

Just since Sept. 3, the cameras have caught 2,376 speed violations, and 1,913 of those were along 132nd Avenue Northeast near Kamiakin Middle School and John Muir Elementary. The other camera is outside Rose Hill Elementary. One driver, city officials said, was speeding at 42 MPH through a school zone while students were present.

The city isn't issuing tickets yet — just warnings. And in fact this week decided to extend the grace period until Oct. 14. Kirkland police chief called the high number of violators so far "concerning."

"We hope that the extended warning period will give drivers an opportunity to adjust their behavior and slow down in school zones. We all need to do our part to make it safe for children to bike and walk to school," she said in a statement.

When fines do go into effect, drivers who exceed the 20 MPH school zone speed limit will get a $136 ticket, and drivers who go above 30 MPH will get a $250 ticket.