Published August 29 2022
Children at Bellevue School District will start their classes for the 2022-2023 school year on Thursday, Sept. 1, Issaquah schools start Tuesday, Aug. 30 and Renton School District will start on Wednesday, Aug. 31. Students, parents, Bellevue residents and commuters should prepare for the upcoming increase in traffic around area schools.
The return of the school year brings more activity and traffic in and near school zones, especially around the morning and afternoon bell times. If you drive near schools at peak times, please be mindful of the following safety tips:
- Slow down and watch out for kids walking, biking and rolling, especially at intersections, crosswalks and when entering and exiting school parking lots.
- When picking up or dropping off children at school, park responsibly and follow parking laws. Parking within 30 feet of a stop sign, within 20 feet of an intersection or within 5 feet of a driveway is not allowed. Stopping in the middle of the street for drop-off/pick up is unsafe for kids and can create unnecessary traffic jams.
- Adhere to the 20-mph speed limit in school zones.
- If you are commuting, find alternative routes around schools to avoid traffic congestion during arrival and dismissal times.
- Pay attention while driving; don’t be distracted by using electronic devices. State distracted driving laws passed in 2017 prohibit cell phone use while driving, at stop lights and while waiting in traffic.
In an effort to identify safety issues around schools, the city completed road safety assessments near Sherwood Forest Elementary School, Interlake High School, Highland Middle School, Sammamish High School, Stevenson Elementary School and Odle Middle School earlier this year. Please visit EngagingBellevue.com/road-safety to respond to a questionnaire about safety and comfort while walking or biking along streets in those areas.
There are also walking audits planned near Lake Hills and Phantom Lake elementary schools, Big Picture and Tillicum middle schools, and International and Newport high schools this fall and in 2023.
To help ease congestion near schools, the Bellevue SchoolPool program will operate again this year. The program is a partnership between the City of Bellevue, King County Metro and Bellevue School District and facilitates carpooling, biking, walking and taking public transit to school, reducing traffic congestion around schools.
To encourage drivers to obey the speed limit, the city’s school zone photo enforcement cameras will operate during times that school zone lights are flashing near Odle Middle School and at Stevenson, Lake Hills and Sunset elementary schools. In addition to the photo enforcement cameras, officers regularly enforce the school zone speed limits. Additionally, the Bellevue School District’s school bus stop paddle camera program—outfitted on more than 20% of the fleet—helps improve student safety. Please remember to stop for school buses when their lights are flashing or the stop paddle is out.
If you are concerned about driving behavior in your neighborhood area, you can request "Park Smart" or traffic safety yard signs. Transportation staff will deliver signs and assist with installation.
The city’s Neighborhood Traffic Safety Services team has many additional resources to help Bellevue residents get safely back to school this year. More information is available at School Traffic Safety. Remember, safe streets in Bellevue start with you.