Speed limits in Bellevue range from 20-40 mph. About 75% of streets in Bellevue are local streets—the majority of these streets will have their speed limits lowered to 20 mph in 2026 through the Local Street Speed Limit Reduction. The remaining approximately 25% of streets are arterial roadways. These streets are generally wider and higher volume, and often have higher speed limits. All streets with a speed limit of 30 mph or more are currently being evaluated through Safe Speeds Bellevue, an effort to improve safety on these higher speed streets.
The city is authorized to determine speed limits after an engineering and traffic investigation. In general, the Transportation Department evaluates and develops findings for the appropriate speed limit of a roadway consistent with national and local practices. The City Council serves as the legislative body approving, denying or modifying the department’s recommendations.
Speed Management in Bellevue
High speeds and speeding are two of the top concerns we hear from the community about road safety in Bellevue. One of the most important ways the Transportation Department manages speeds is through speed limit setting and evaluation. Higher speeds increase both the likelihood and the severity of crashes. In this way, a Safe System is not possible without safe speeds. Speed limits and speed management at the City of Bellevue aim to minimize death and injury, account for human error and recognize road safety as a shared responsibility.
- Local streets: Speed limits on nearly all local streets in Bellevue are 20 or 25 mph. The city's Residential Traffic Guidebook outlines various countermeasures to help lower the speeds people drive on local streets. This work is primarily done by the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Services group.
- Arterial streets: Speed limits on arterial streets range from 25-40 mph. The Speed Management Plan (SMP) focuses on arterial streets with a posted speed limit of 30 mph or greater. The SMP has a countermeasures toolkit to help reduce speeds and provide solutions appropriate for streets based on the land use, speed limit and impact to emergency response vehicles. Speed limits on all 30+ mph streets are currently being evaluated through Safe Speeds Bellevue.