At the June 24th Council meeting, City Council gave staff direction to expand the Kenmore Automated Photo Enforcement (KAPE) program. The KAPE program was first approved by Council in 2022, and launched in spring of 2023 with a warning period for school zone speeding violations in the Kenmore Elementary school zone on 73rd Av and the Arrowhead Elementary school zone on Juanita Dr.
At the beginning of the fall school semester of 2023 the KAPE school zones began normal operations, and drivers speeding through the Kenmore Elementary and Arrowhead Elementary school zones received $100 fines. The KAPE school zones have now completed their first whole school-year of normal operations, and the number of drivers traveling 6+ mph over the school zone speed limit has reduced from more than 95% of drivers to only 1.5% of drivers. The average speed of travel in these school zones exceeded 30 mph before photo enforcement began, and with photo enforcement in place the average speed has fallen to 20 mph. Before photo enforcement began these travel speeds meant that any crash that with a pedestrian (especially school-age children) would almost certainly result in fatal injury.
The reduced speeds we’re seeing now not only reduce the risk of a crash occurring, but any crash that does occur will almost certainly be survivable. Earlier this year the City also began red-light enforcement at the 61st Av & Bothell Way intersection for eastbound-to-northbound left turns – red light violations related to this turning movement previously resulted in 80% of pedestrians crossing the north leg having near-misses with drivers running the red light during high traffic hours. Although this location is still in its warning period, red light violations for this movement have dropped to less than one per week.
Based on the established success of the KAPE program, Council directed staff to expand the KAPE program as follows:
- Expand photo enforcement at all KAPE school zones to also enforce the regulatory speed limit (30 mph) when the school zone is not active. Limiting the speed-management effect of photo enforcement to only the limited hours and days when school zones are active provides a safety benefit to only 11% of the annual traffic on these streets. Schools are centers of our communities, and the streets with KAPE school zones carry frequent bicycle and pedestrian traffic throughout the year – this change allows the demonstrated safety benefit of our existing photo enforcement system to offer protection in our traffic environment to all road users at all times.
- Implement photo enforcement for the Inglemoor High school zone on Simonds Rd for the enforcement of the school zone speed limit as well as the regulatory speed limit. The Inglemoor High school zone was considered in the initial recommendations for KAPE locations, however the school zone had only recently been created. Staff recommended at that time to wait and see how drivers responded to the new school zone before implementing phot enforcement. The school zone has been in place for several years now, and, although it has been effective at reducing travel speeds when the school zone is active, excessive speeding is still the norm, contributing to the risk of serious and fatal crashes for walk- and bike-to-school commuters.
- Adjust fines of offset increases in program expenses. As program costs increase (both operating costs and through mandatory contributions to state programs), the net remittance to the City per fine can erode to a point where the KAPE program is less able to provide funding for substantive safety improvements. Adjusting the fine to offset program expenses allows the City to fund non-photo-enforcement traffic safety improvements, and reduce the City’s reliance on photo enforcement to provide speed management in the future. Council direction was to adopt the following schedule for future increases to the baseline photo enforcement fine:
- 2025: Increase fine to $110
- 2029: Increase fine to $135
- Increase with inflation every 4 years thereafter
The City of Kenmore has the lowest photo enforcement fines regionally, and the fines from the KAPE program are dramatically lower than fines which would result from in-person enforcement. These metrics both remain true even accounting for the scheduled changes to the fine amount. Maintaining low fines has been a critical element of the KAPE program’s commitment to equity, and to reducing the risk of financial disruption for folks who are economically vulnerable.
An ordinance to adopt changes to the Kenmore Municipal Code which support expansion of the KAPE program will be brought to City Council at the September 16th Council meeting. Changes to existing KAPE school zones are expected to be implemented before the end of 2024, and photo enforcement in the Inglemoor High school zone is expected to begin in the first half of 2025.
For more information, visit the KAPE webpage: kenmorewa.gov/photoenforcement
For questions or comments, contact Tobin Bennett-Gold at tbennettgold@kenmorewa.gov
