Neighbors Remind Drivers To Slow Down During School Traffic Hours

The Laurelhurst Blog has received emails from several parents and neighbors asking cars to slow down, especially since neighborhood schools are back in session.

One parent wrote:

I'm sitting at the Laurelhurst Elementary school parked at NE 45th Street and would like to remind drivers to slow down with our various neighborhood schools starting up again and kids and parents walking, biking and driving to school.  

Particularly around Laurelhurst Elementary is a high traffic area, with school starting at 7:55a and a middle school bus pick up at Sun Park, 47th Avenue NE and NE 47th Street at 8:15am.  

There are many kids out at this time so please be aware and drive slowly. Neighborhood roads can become congested and sometimes drivers fly down the NE 45th Street hill. 

Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) offers these tips:

• Put your phone and all other distractions away while driving. On the road, off the phone. Learn about the statewide distracted driving law.
• Is there a school in your neighborhood? Remember all school zones have a 20 MPH speed limit when children are present in the morning and afternoon. As of last year, all residential (non-arterial) streets have a speed limit of 20 MPH all day, every day.
• Keep a look out for yellow school buses. When the red lights flash and the stop sign paddle is activated, vehicles on both sides of the road must come to a complete stop until the bus begins moving again.
• Have you talked with your child about how he or she will get to school this year? Having a conversation about safety, the rules of the road, and routes to school is essential toward increasing their awareness of traffic safety.
• Talk to staff at your child’s school for resources about the safest routes for students to walk and bike to school.
• If you have a child who will be biking to school, make sure they are properly equipped with a helmet, bike light, and reflective gear to ensure their safety. Have a conversation about the road rules while biking and the safest route to school 

SDOT’s webpage on traffic enforcement in school zones provides information on the term of "when children are present” on their website: 

• School children are walking within the marked crosswalk.
• School children are waiting at the curb or on the shoulder of the roadway to cross at the marked crosswalk.
• School children are present or walking along the roadway, either on the adjacent sidewalk or on the shoulder.

For more information go here.