Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Olympia Community Livability & Public Safety Committee is exploring speed safety cameras and a new traffic calming program as a means to reduce speeding and improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.
“Speeding is a problem throughout the city,” said Public Works Transportation Principal Planner Michelle Swanson at a committee meeting on Aug. 26.
She cited research showing the risk of a fatal injury to pedestrians rises sharply as vehicle speeds increase. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling 20 mph has an estimated 8 percent risk of fatal injury, compared with 46 percent at 40 mph.
For example, on East Bay Drive near Squaxin Park, the posted speed limit is 30 mph, while the 85th-percentile speed reaches as high as 43 mph.
The city has identified streets with higher risks of fatal and serious injury crashes as “safety corridors.”
The safety corridors have helped guide projects on State Avenue and East Bay Drive, 4th Avenue and Plum Street, and planned work on Capitol Corridor and Martin Way.
Street design is another tool the city is using to reduce speeds. A redesign of Fones Road includes lowering the speed limit to 25 mph from 35 mph. The city also requires traffic calming features in some new developments.
The city is also addressing speeding by installing temporary speed feedback signs, a volunteer speed watch program and police enforcement. The feedback signs have been deployed 144 times since 2023, while volunteers sent 325 warning letters in 2025 and 269 through June 2026.
Police conducted more than 3,200 traffic stops in 2025, but Olympia Police Department Chief Shelby Parker said staffing shortages have prevented the department from maintaining a dedicated traffic unit since 2021. She hopes to restore the unit by 2027 as staffing improves.
The committee is also considering speed safety cameras after City Council member Kelly Green, who also serves on the committe, introduced a referral to explore their potential to reduce vehicle speeds and improve pedestrian safety.
Swanson said speed safety cameras operate under different rules than automatic license plate reader systems, such as Flock cameras.
Under Revised Code of Washington 46.63.220, speed safety cameras cannot continuously record. They may capture a violation when it occurs and may record images of the vehicle and license plate, but not drivers or passengers.
The records are retained only as long as necessary to establish a violation and allow an appeal.
Swanson noted the records are exempt from the state’s Public Records Act and cannot be used for unrelated law enforcement purposes.
State law limits speed safety cameras to specific locations, including school zones with 20 mph speed limits, school walk routes, parks, hospitals and designated crash prevention zones.
Based on current state limits, Olympia, with a population of slightly more than 58,000, could operate up to six speed safety cameras.
Citations would be emailed to a vehicle’s registered owner within 14 days, and would be treated similarly to parking tickets. They would not be placed on a driver’s record or affect insurance rates.
The maximum fine would be $145. It could be doubled in a school or crash prevention zone. There could be up to a 50 percent reduction for people who qualify for public assistance.
The city is also considering a traffic calming program designed to slow vehicles through roadway changes.
Possible measures include permanent street redesigns, as well as interim treatments, such as flexible posts, pavement markings and plastic curbing.
Swanson said such measures would require additional maintenance. She said using existing engineering staff could potentially slow other transportation projects.
Depending on its scope, the program could cost between $500,000 and $2 million annually.
Committee members expressed interest in pursuing both speed safety cameras and a traffic calming program.
“I am interested in exploring both options. … I think both have their merits,” said Yen Huynh, who represents the Olympia City Council on the committee.
Committee Chair Dani Madrone, who also represents the city council on the committee, expressed support for moving forward on the camera program alongside other safety measures.
Olympia staff are expected to return in about a year with more information on the funding and staffing needed to establish a program.
13 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
KatAshe
Just a note. For those who do not like these cameras, don’t visit London with about 950,000 cameras = to one camera for every 10 residents,
Tuesday, September 1 Report this
Tanker1982
They work! I was fortunate enough to live in Europe for 12 years and yes, the only tickets I have received in 67 years is from those damn cameras. But you learn and adjust to be a bit smarter. Less stupid. I fully support speed cameras
Tuesday, September 1 Report this
Honestyandrealityguy
The city needs to avoid hate and hire/train local police. There are more important things to worry about in Olympia, like walking in downtown. They have lost so many good people because of their politics. It is time to take care of us! My opinion. Common sense please.
Tuesday, September 1 Report this
Honestyandrealityguy
The city needs to hire/train local police. There are more important things to worry about in Olympia, like walking in downtown. They have lost so many good people because of their thinking. It is time to take care of us! My opinion. Common sense please.
Tuesday, September 1 Report this
OLDME71
Lacey needs to do traffic cameras on Ruddell Road. Every time I drive there multiple cars go 50 MPH . Honking does not slow them as they apparently are choosing to speed. This has gone on since Covid.
Tuesday, September 1 Report this
JW
Only if ICE gets access to the cameras
Wednesday, September 2 Report this
HotTractor
Forget the cameras, put traffic calming measure in. Cameras are a constant drain of money, unlike changes to roads to reduce speed and increase visibility of pedestrians and bicycles.
Wednesday, September 2 Report this
Mugwump
I, personally, am NOT a fan of speed cameras as I *feel* that they infringe on my 4th Amendment right to privacy (the courts tend to disagree).
However ... Research literature is fairly consistently favorable on speed cameras (as opposed to red-light cameras, which are more mixed). The programs that get killed usually die from cost/legal-authorization mismatches, political backlash over fine amounts and equity, or governance/privacy disputes (the Flock license-plate camera cases are a related but distinct controversy) — not because rigorous studies showed no safety benefit.
So, that said, we can be sure that people who want to speed will evade the cameras by avoiding main roads where they will most likely be installed, thereby endangering the safety of those living and walking on neighborhood streets. It's a conundrum.
Maybe look a little deeper into having enough police to properly secure the city streets?
Wednesday, September 2 Report this
KinesthesiaAmnesia
This is a much-needed public safety improvement. But complete streets that are designed for all users, instead of Oly streets that have been designed primarily for pleasure and convenience of motor vehicles (the unofficial racetrack that is Auto Mall Drive comes to mind), would get us so much farther.
Wednesday, September 2 Report this
Wesley
I would only support such cameras if I.C.E. has full access to all records generated by them.
Wednesday, September 2 Report this
TheVirtualOne
One of the primary reasons people object to the cameras is “privacy”. There is no such thing as privacy in public spaces, so that is immediately taken away as any justification. A second reason now being used is abuse of the data by the police. So far, those situations are few and far between, not even close to being the general rule. As with any employee who has committed an offense, each of these incidents should be dealt with through the discipline process. That means giving the employee a warning or firing them. Overall, these cameras have been invaluable to police in capturing criminals who otherwise would still be causing harm to and endangering the public. This is the story of a few loud people drowning out common sense and the facts.
Wednesday, September 2 Report this
HappyOlympian
Punish speeders with hefty fines - and, if this passes the Constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment - make them read the a compendium of Honestyandrealityguy's comments - they will never think of speeding again, and may give up driving entirely.
Thursday, September 3 Report this
BillSpencer
Yes children, Olympia has a traffic violence and vehicular assault problem. We're ranked as one of the higher cities in the state for pedestrian deaths. THERE ARE TOO MANY DRUNKS, DISTRACTED IDIOTS, AND SENILE OLD PEOPLE ON OUR ROADS!!!
Tuesday, September 22 Report this