BELLEVUE, Wash. - The speed limit on Bellevue's local streets is dropping from 25 mph to 20 mph, with new signs expected to start going up Monday, Aug. 24, according to the City of Bellevue.
The lower limit takes effect immediately as signs are installed, and the city said there is no warning period for the change. Local streets, also called neighborhood streets, make up 64 percent of the streets in Bellevue and are primarily designed to provide access within neighborhoods and carry local traffic to collector arterials.
In total, 360 20-mph signs will be installed along with 190 pavement markings. Approximately 325 signs will replace existing signs and 35 new sign locations will be added. Neighborhoods in north Bellevue, including Lake Hills, Northeast Bellevue, Crossroads, Wilburton, Bridle Trails and Northwest Bellevue, will be the first to get the new signs, with the remaining neighborhoods planned for later this year.
Speeding on local streets is the top traffic safety concern the city hears from residents, according to the city, and speeding remains a top contributing factor to fatal and serious-injury collisions in Bellevue. To bring down vehicle speeds, the city also uses tools such as speed humps, radar feedback signs, speed safety cameras and traffic circles.
The lower speed limit was previously tested in three Bellevue neighborhoods: Surrey Downs, East Bellevue Greenway and parts of Eastgate around Tyee Middle School. In each neighborhood, the change reduced high-end speeding, defined as vehicles going faster than 30 mph. Eastgate, the largest 20 mph zone to date, saw a 19 percent reduction in high-end speeding without additional enforcement by police.
After hearing community feedback about lowering the local street speed limit, the City Council passed an ordinance in October 2024 to make the change. The project is estimated to cost approximately $700,000, funded through the Neighborhood Safety, Connectivity and Congestion Levy.