This year, we’re building dozens of safety enhancements around schools to help our kids walk, bike, and roll to school

Students bike and walk to school at Genesee Hill Elementary in West Seattle via a School Street. Photo: SDOT

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At-a-glance:

The Seattle Public Schools academic year resumes on September 4.
We’ve been working over the summer to build street and sidewalk upgrades which make walking, biking, and rolling a more comfortable and fun way to get to school.
Use the links below to find more information or read on to learn how you can get involved:
Please drive at slow, safe speeds around schools – the speed limit is 20 miles per hour when school zone yellow flashing lights are active and whenever children are present.
Thank you for your interest in supporting our kids as class resumes this fall.

Safe Routes to School project highlights

Traffic calming and better crossings near Adams Elementary in Ballard

Many Adams Elementary students cross NW 65th St at 26th Ave NW and 28th Ave NW to get to school. School families saw a problem with speeding on NW 65th St. We collected speed data and found people are driving faster than the speed limit, even during school arrival and departure times.

This year, we installed speed cushions and curb bulbs (where the sidewalk extends further into the street to help reduce crossing distances) to calm traffic and make NW 65th St easier to cross. Adams Elementary students got to vote on a design for the inside of the curb bulbs and students selected a ‘blue mountain’ design shown below. We hope this sparks joy and pride as students begin their new school year.

“Thank you! It has been amazing to see how much calmer the traffic is [on NW 65th St].” – Project neighbor via Facebook comment

On a sunny day, image of a new vibrant yellow people crossing sign installed at the curb as well as a bike lane protected via flex posts and on the bike lane floor there is a painting design in shades of blue of the mountain. Power lines run across the top of the image from posts lined down the neighborhood street. — *View of the recently installed crossing upgrades and the ‘blue mountain’ decal design. Photo: SDOT*

Better crossings at Kimball Elementary and South Shore PK-8 in Southeast Seattle

Earlier this year, we installed push button flashing beacons at the 23rd Ave S and S Hinds St crosswalk to support families getting to Kimball Elementary. We have observed and heard from school families that people driving are much more likely to stop for people needing to cross than before. The project also included upgraded curb ramps and sidewalk repairs.

Two elementary students cross the crosswalk followed by a parent. A dad and his kid on the curb of the sidewalk approach the crosswalk to cross the street. The crosswalk has a pedestrian activated cross light on both sides. A fenced house is on the other side of the crosswalk and a light blue house and brown house peek above the fence. Power lines run above the street. — *Kimball Elementary families crossing 23rd Ave S at S Hinds St next to Kimball Elementary on Beacon Hill. Photo: SDOT*

We also installed a crossing improvement outside of South Shore PK-8 in Rainier Beach as part of a suite of improvements to prevent drivers from speeding and make it safer and more comfortable to reach the many schools and destinations on S Henderson St. Check out our S Henderson St School Safety project webpage for more details.

Kindergartener dress in colorful light blue and pink shoes, light pink sweatpants with rainbows, and a purple and white swirled fluffy jacket with medium length dark blonde hair standing on the sidewalk near a grass patch by a sign that says new crossing upgrade in white in front of blue background. The sign illustrates three children crossing the street and two cars behind them in a cartoon style. A row of cars are parked along the sidewalk and dark green vibrant trees line each side of the sidewalk. There is a pedestrian activated cross signal at this curb corner. — *Kindergartener standing next to new crossing improvement on S Henderson St at 50th Ave S outside of South Shore PK-8 in Rainier Beach. Photo: SDOT*

Traffic calming at other schools in Seattle

We built speed cushions/speed humps this year near Viewlands Elementary, Sacajawea Elementary, Greenwood Elementary, and McGilvra Elementary. And we added all-way stop signs and marked crosswalks near John Stanford Elementary, Sand Point Elementary, and Gatewood Elementary.

By the end of the year, we expect to install traffic calming near Orca K-8, Gatewood Elementary, Olympic View Elementary, and Chief Sealth High School/Denny Middle School.

We’ve seen consistent reductions in speed with speed humps and speed cushions – they are an important tool in our toolkit to make it safer and more comfortable to walk and bike to school.

A dad in light blue-gray long sleeve and denim pants walks with his two kids across the crosswalk. The blonde older boy, about upper elementary age, walks in a black long sleeve and dark denim pants in front of the dad. The younger kid with more brown hair, a gray shirt and black long pants walks behind the dad. The dad is looking back at the younger kid. At this intersection in one corner is a brick four story building with a triangle top and tan colored bottom floor. Trees line the sidewalks at all four corners of the sidewalks that meet at the intersection. Powerlines run along the sky. — A dad and his two kids cross 3rd Ave NW to Greenwood Elementary School. Crews recently installed speed cushions, more marked crosswalks, and paint and post curb bulbs on 3rd Ave NW between NW 83rd St and NW 67th St. Photo: SDOT

New traffic gardens help kids learn to ride a bike and travel safely

We’re continuing to fund the Let’s Go Safety Education Program in partnership with Seattle Public Schools, Cascade Bicycle Club, and the Outdoors for All Foundation. This program teaches all 3rd to 8th grade Seattle Public School students how to walk and bike safely as a part of their PE curriculum. The program began in Seattle and has now expanded statewide and is the largest program of its kind in the United States.

This year, we’re trying out a new way to support this program with new Traffic Gardens – miniature street grids painted in school play yards which include realistic traffic markings alongside fun and imaginative features like painted orcas, local landmarks, or four-square courts. These provide a comfortable, car-free space for kids to test their bike skills and street safety knowledge during PE class or on their own after school.

There are currently five locations:

West Seattle Elementary
Kimball Elementary
Viewlands Elementary
James Baldwin Elementary
Olympic Hill Elementary

Seattle Public Schools is working on more traffic garden locations in the future – please stay tuned.

Young elementary girl dressed in a white dress, blue skinny jeans layered underneath and knee high pink socks and pink shoes with white bottom stripes rides her blue and white bike on the dark pavement of a traffic garden. It seems to be early evening time with a blue and slight orange hue in the sky. The traffic garden has some basketball court lines, a single basketball hoop, a black fence surrounding it. On the floor is a miniature version of typical road conditions drawn in. Four squares in green, blue, orange, and red represent blocks you would typically see while navigating roads. The four blocks form a fake intersection marked with a crosswalk, lane stripes, stop signs, and stop lines mimicking real life street conditions. — *New traffic garden at Kimball Elementary in Beacon Hill (with other playground features mixed in like 4-square!).*

How to get involved

Consider whether your school would be a candidate for a School Street. School Streets are residential streets adjacent to schools that we close to cars and open to people walking, rolling, and biking to school (school buses, students with accessibility needs, and people accessing homes on the street are still allowed to drive on the School Street). We’re up to 15 School Streets and counting this year and would love to see more.

At a crosswalk in front of a two story red brick elementary school a mom and her daughter hold hands as they cross the street. A dad and his son hold hands as they cross the street and the son is riding a unicycle. The street has a "street closed" sign and a school streets sign with yellow, black, and purple color blocks explaining school streets. A yellow pedestrian crossing sign and arrow is at the curb pointing at the crosswalk. Attached to the sign's post is a cylindrical container holding orange flags. Bushes and trees surround the school. — *Families walk and unicycle (!) to Whittier Elementary using their School Street. Photo: SDOT*

Parents kick off the school day by biking and walking together with the bike bus to Dunlap Elementary and South Shore PK-8 in Rainier Beach. Click here for more info on starting a bike bus or walking school bus. Photo credit: SDOT

Request a Walking and Biking Package or apply for a mini grant

Want to start a walking school bus? Want to lead an event for National Walk to School Day on October 9? Have another way to support students at your school to get to school in an active and environmentally friendly way? We have supply packages that we’ll deliver to you for free! Check out the list of options that best suit your needs.

If none of the packages fit your big idea, apply for a mini grant! We can provide schools, PTAs, and community groups with up to $1,000 to lead their own walking and biking to school activities.

In front of a gray fence there is a long table set up with a pink, white, gray plaid tablecloth and light blue tale cloth. There is a banner that says "bike to school" and "May is bike month" hung up on the fence. Four parents stand behind the table preparing pancakes. One mom with a helmet on stands at the side of the table helping three middle school boys get their pancakes. Its a chilly day in May and everyone is dressed in long sleeves or jackets and jeans or sweatpants. This table is setup near a small parking lot at the school. — *Eckstein Middle School parents and staff use mini grant money to organize a popular pancake breakfast every year to celebrate students biking to school.*

Take transit to school (for free!)

All youth (18 and under) can ride transit for free! Caregivers who want to accompany students on their way to school may also qualify for reduced fare cards depending on income level. View the different ORCA cards available here.

Inside a bus, a mom is sitting on the seat smiling as she looks at her preschool to elementary aged daughter dressed in a yellow, orange, and white flower dress as the daughter pulls the yellow cord in the bus to request a stop. Behind the mom and daughter to the right is a young female looking out the window dressed in a short sleeve red shirt. — *A mom and her daughter enjoy a bus ride together. Photo credit:* *ORCA Card*

Encourage your community to promote safe travel

We can provide yard signs for you to place by your school. Currently, we have 11 different designs that you can pick up at community centers and Seattle Customer Service Centers around the city. Click here to find a pick-up center closest to you.

Two elementary school students hold vision zero signs at a nearby crosswalk. The younger one is dressed in a yellow rooster onesie with a red sign that says "Speed limit 20 is plenty" and the older one is dressed in a white chicken onesie holding a sign that says "keep kids safe" and the icon of a mom holding her kid's hand. Behind the two elementary students is an adult dressed in a white animal onesie and another adult dressed in a gray animal onesie looking at and waving at drivers. — *Bright and early on a winter morning, Madrona Elementary school parents and kids traded in their winter jackets for chicken suits with Vizion Zero yard signs. Photo credit: SDOT*

If you drive, follow the legal speed limit of 20 miles per hour when yellow beacons are flashing or children are present in school zones. Speeding tickets in school zones are now $243. We appreciate your care and attention to this important matter.

Thank you for helping us encourage walking, rolling, biking, and safe travel for our children. We hope everyone has a great first day of school and a wonderful 2024-2025 school year!

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