As a way of reminding drivers to take it slow near our schools, the City of Seattle has installed new flashing school zone beacons at five Seattle schools, including Fremont’s BF Day Elementary school. The beacons are accompanied by signs that denote a 20 MPH speed limit when children are present or when the lights are flashing.
The Seattle Department of Transportation also recently made additional school walking route improvements at BF Day.
“Adding flashing beacons has been shown to lower speeds through school zones and lower vehicle speeds typically result in fewer pedestrian injuries and fatalities,” according to the Seattle Department of Transportation’s (SDOT) Safe Routes to School Coordinator Brian Dougherty.
SDOT now operates 47 pairs of school zone beacons at 45 public and private elementary schools around the city. Funding for the new beacons came from the Bridging the Gap transportation levy passed by Seattle voters in 2006.
Photo: SDOT