The city of Bellevue has announced plans to reduce speed limits on four streets to improve road safety. Under the ‘Safe Speeds Bellevue’ initiative, which aligns with the city’s Vision Zero goal to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030, speed limits on sections of 124th Avenue Southeast/Southeast 38th Street and Northup Way—from Bellevue Way to 120th Avenue Northeast—will be lowered from 35 to 25 mph. Additionally, speed limits on Village Park Drive and parts of Northeast 40th Street will be reduced from 35 to 30 mph, according to the city’s news release.
The decision to lower speed limits, which was approved by the Bellevue City Council on June 3, responds to the needs of communities around schools and bike routes and addresses specific resident requests. As reported by the City of Bellevue, the changes reflect the street design and usage, and aim to protect those walking, rolling, bicycling, and driving. City employees plan to update the corresponding street signs to reflect the new speed limits later this month.
Beyond the initial reductions, Bellevue transportation staff will closely monitor how drivers adapt to the new speed restrictions using the collected data to guide future project phases. An in-depth review of all Bellevue streets that currently have a speed limit of 30 mph or higher is also on the agenda, given that these streets, despite only making up 25% of the city’s street network, have been the setting for almost 90% of the fatal and serious injury crashes…