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School Zone Signage
Since 2007, SDOT has installed or improved school zone signage at more than 150 eligible schools in Seattle. Schools are eligible for school speed zone signs if they have a K-12 program approved by the Washington State Board of Education and they enroll more than 20 students.
Signs are generally placed in compliance with national standards, Seattle Municipal Code and SDOT’s guidelines on school zone placement. School speed zones consist of the following:
- An advanced warning sign located 300 feet before the start of the school speed zone.
- A speed zone sign (“20mph When Children Present”) 300 feet in advance of the school property boundary or marked school crosswalk. “When Children Present” is legally defined by any of the following conditions:
- School children are occupying or walking within the marked crosswalk.
- School children are waiting at the curb or on the shoulder of the roadway and are about to cross the roadway by way of the marked crosswalk.
- School children are present or walking along the roadway, either on the adjacent sidewalk or, in the absence of sidewalks, on the shoulder within the posted school speed limit zone which extends 300 feet in either direction from the marked crosswalk.
- An “End School Zone” sign indicating the end of the school speed zone.
SDOT has also installed or upgraded thousands of school crosswalk signs. These signs use a bright fluorescent yellow-green color, and include a downward facing arrow pointed towards the crosswalk, calling greater attention to locations where children will be crossing.
If you believe your school needs a reduced speed zone or improved crosswalk signage, please complete this form. We will evaluate your location and respond with our findings.
Flashing Beacons
SDOT operates 46 sets of flashing beacons at 35 schools around the city. The flashing beacons are an effective part of a wide range of tools that SDOT and the Police Department use to ensure that children get to and from school safely. Locations are selected based on traffic volume, speed, collisions, roadway conditions, vehicle types, and number of students walking to school.
The beacons are mounted along with school speed zone signs that read “20 miles per hour when children are present or lights are flashing." They are programmed to flash during hours when most children are walking to and from school.
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SDOT has flashing beacons at the following schools:
- Arbor Heights Elementary
- Assumption School
- Bagley Elementary
- Bailey Gatzert Elementary
- Beacon Hill Elementary
- Brighton Elementary
- Broadview-Thomson Elementary
- Bryant Elementary
- Concord Elementary
- Gatewood Elementary
- Green Lake Elementary
- Greenwood Elementary
- Hawthorne Elementary
- Highland Park Elementary
- Holy Family School
- John Stanford Elementary
- Lafayette Elementary
- Leschi Elementary
- Loyal Heights Elementary
- Madrona Elementary
- Muir Elementary
- Northgate Elementary
- Roxhill Elementary
- Saint Catherine School
- Saint George School
- Saint John School
- Salmon Bay Alternative School
- Sanislo Elementary
- Stevens Elementary
- Van Asselt Elementary
- View Ridge Elementary
- West Seattle Elementary
- West Woodland Elementary
- Whittier Elementary
- Wing Luke Elementary
Thanks to a grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, SDOT installed four new sets of beacons in 2009. Those new beacons are located at Blaine K-8, Kimball Elementary, Dearborn Park Elementary and Olympic View Elementary.
If you would like to request a flashing beacon at your school, complete the following online form (link).
If you have questions or concerns regarding the operation of existing beacons, contact Carol Coryell at (206) 684-5067, or carol.coryell@seattle.gov.
Seattle 's Adult Crossing Guard Program is administered by the Seattle Police Department. For information about this program, contact Donald Smith at (206) 233-7200, or donald.smith@seattle.gov.
SDOT’s Mini Grant program can provide up to $1,000 to schools or community groups to help supply new safety gear for school crossing guard programs. |
