SENATE BILL REPORT

HB 1114

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Highways & Transportation, April 7, 2003

Title: An act relating to school or playground speed zones.

Brief Description: Extending school or playground speed zones.

Sponsors: Representatives Hinkle, Murray, Armstrong, Priest, Boldt, Lovick, Mielke and Haigh.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Highways & Transportation: 4/3/03, 4/7/03 [DPA].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HIGHWAYS & TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: Do pass as amended.

      Signed by Senators Horn, Chair; Benton, Vice Chair; Swecker, Vice Chair; Esser, Finkbeiner, Haugen, Jacobsen, Kastama, Mulliken, Oke, Prentice and Spanel.

Staff: Kelly Simpson (786-7403)

Background: Under current law, vehicle drivers generally may not exceed 20 miles per hour when passing marked school or playground crosswalks that are fully posted with signs indicating a school or playground speed zone. The speed zone extends 300 feet in either direction from the marked crosswalk. Drivers violating this provision are subject to a traffic infraction with a doubled fine.

Summary of Amended Bill: Local jurisdictions may create a school or playground speed zone on a highway bordering a school or playground, even if no marked school or playground crosswalk is present. Drivers within the speed zone may not exceed 20 miles per hour. The speed zone may extend 300 feet from the school or playground property line, but must only include area consistent with active school or playground use.

Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill: The speed zones created by local jurisdictions must be limited to areas consistent with school or playground use.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: Current law specifically requires the presence of a marked school or playground crosswalk to trigger a school or playground speed zone having a 20 mph speed limit. In some instances, particularly in rural areas of the state where crosswalks may not exist, school zone infractions have been thrown out in court because of the lack of a marked crosswalk. This bill would permit cities and counties to fix this problem by allowing for the establishment of school zones near schools, even where crosswalks are not present.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified: Representative Hinkle (pro).