Transportation (Traffic Safety)

HB 1423 authorizes cities in Washington State with populations of at least 2,000 to participate in a pilot program using automated vehicle noise enforcement cameras. These cameras would be deployed in designated "vehicle-racing camera enforcement zones" to detect vehicles exceeding maximum permissible sound levels. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission is tasked with overseeing this program and reporting on its implementation and findings to the legislature by January 2028. The section establishing this pilot program is set to expire in July 2028.

Senate Bill 5595 allows local authorities to designate certain nonarterial highways as "shared streets," which are areas where pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles share the roadway. On these designated streets, vehicular traffic must yield to pedestrians, bicyclists, and micromobility devices, and bicyclists/micromobility users must yield to pedestrians. The bill also permits local authorities to establish a maximum speed limit of 10 miles per hour on shared streets without requiring an engineering study. Additionally, local authorities must publish annual reports on traffic accidents, speeding, and DUI violations occurring on these shared streets.