 |
Students cross N 175th mid-block with the aid of a crossing guard
The school is in the background. Photo by Oliver Moffat. |
By Oliver J Moffat
The Shoreline city council will vote on automated cameras to catch school zone speeders at Meridian Park Elementary on 175th Street at their meeting on
Monday, March 30, 2026.
Students walking or biking to Meridian Park Elementary must cross a four-lane road with heavy traffic and use the narrow strips along the shoulders of 175th where there are no sidewalks.
The 175th Street corridor is Shoreline’s most dangerous city-owned road, and Meridian Park has more vehicle traffic than any other school.
Parents and crossing guards have repeatedly lobbied the city to take action with petitions and accounts of terrifying "close calls" in the school zone.
Every school day, drivers from Shoreline’s westside neighborhoods (like Richmond Beach and Innis Arden) use 175th to access the nearby freeway onramp to I-5.
 |
Flashing lights and signs warn drivers as they speed by Meridian Park school which is on the right about a block down this street.
Photo by Oliver Moffat |
Last year, a
city report found 1,031 speeders on average school days while children were coming and going to Meridian Park and the 20 mph speed zone lights were flashing. Alarmingly, 59% of those drivers sped by Meridian Park at over 30 mph while children were arriving and leaving school.
At the
Monday, March 30, 2026 meeting, the Shoreline City Council will vote on a
proposed ordinance to authorize automated traffic safety cameras in school zones and specifically for the Meridian Park Elementary school zone at Meridian Avenue N and N 175th Street.
The proposed fines would start at $130 for speeding between 4mph and 13mph over the 20mph school zone limit. The fine could be $260 for lead-foots speeding faster than 33 mph in the 20 mph school zones.
As required by state law, fines are reduced by 50% for poor people receiving public assistance.
Multiple studies show school zone cameras make roads safer.
After
Lake Forest Park activated school zone cameras at Brookside Elementary, average speeds dropped from over 30mph to 24.3mph.
And Seattle reported a 71% reduction in crashes in areas where school speed zone cameras are active.
However, the plan has sparked intense debate over equity and privacy.
Councilmember Keith Scully has criticized the proposed $130 to $260 fines as regressive, arguing they disproportionately penalize low-income families.
Under state law, any excess revenue must be used for traffic safety improvements in low-income neighborhoods and roads with higher-than-average injury crashes.
Some opponents also worry that automated enforcement could pave the way for broader surveillance.
Unlike Flock Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) surveillance cameras, school zone cameras are event-triggered and only take pictures when the radar detects a speeder. The cameras can only record license plates and the outside of the vehicles; they cannot record the faces of drivers or passengers.
The photos cannot be released to the public and cannot be used in court against people for proceedings unrelated to the traffic violation. The camera data can only be used for processing the specific school zone infractions and can’t be shared with Federal or outside law enforcement agencies.
Some critics say redesigning the road would be more effective than automated enforcement.
The city will need those grants if the project is ever to be completed; most recent estimates show the costs escalating over $90 million with no scheduled completion date in sight.
If the council approves, a 30-day warning period could start as soon as December 2026, with actual tickets starting in January of 2027.
Information about attending the city council meeting and providing public comments is available on the
city’s website.
.png)
Enjoy your well-deserved retirement!"
.png)
Posts
