The new cameras are designed to reduce travel time for buses and limit speeding at dangerous intersections.
New traffic enforcement cameras are coming to Seattle in September, reports Ryan Packer in The Urbanist, expanding a pilot program approved in 2020. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) announced three locations that will receive new cameras to ticket drivers who block a marked crosswalk or mid-street box. and enforce the dedicated transit lane on the West Seattle Bridge.
According to Packer, “The new cameras all target locations with long-standing complaints of low compliance with traffic laws and look poised to have a positive impact on mobility for transit riders and pedestrians alike.”
“These three additional cameras will bring the total number of cameras active under the state pilot program to 11, with one location (Fifth Avenue and Olive Way) acting as both a transit-lane and a block-the-box camera.” The pilot program that made the cameras possible was initially scheduled to expire this summer, but was extended to 2025.
Data obtained by The Urbanist after the pilot program began showed that “the cameras were having their intended effect of impacting future driver behavior, though the relatively small number of cameras in the city didn’t provide a huge sample size and more data may very well show more repeat offenders.”
FULL STORY: Seattle Plans Expansion of Block-the-Box and Transit Lane Cameras This Fall
Traffic Camera Revenues to Fund Capacity-Building Programs in Washington State
Revenue from Washington's traffic enforcement cameras will go in part toward efforts to assist small communities in applying for grants and accessing funding opportunities.
Opinion: D.C. Should Go All in on Traffic Cameras
More widespread deployment of automated enforcement sensors could change the system from one of high fines and sparse enforcement to one that encourages more extensive behavior change.
California Traffic Camera Bill Clears Committee
The bill, aimed at testing speed cameras in the state to improve traffic safety, will go to the full State Assembly for a vote.
Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny
The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.
‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland
Portland is redesigning its bus system to respond to the changing patterns of the post-pandemic world—with twin goals of increasing ridership and improving equity.
Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?
New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?
700-Acre Master-Planned Community Planned in Utah
A massive development plan is taking shape for lakefront property in Vineyard, Utah—on the site of a former U.S. Steel Geneva Works facility.
More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus
Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.
Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says
Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
