Seattle’s Most Ignored Speed Limits

Seattle drivers abide John Law, mostly. For example, we signal, which I think is a criminal offense in New York City. We don’t run red lights (Boston), we don’t tailgate on the freeway at 75 (Los Angeles), we don’t do whatever you’d call this (India).

But even we passive Sons and Daughters of Norway have our breaking point. Some Seattle byways are hot beds of lawlessness; zones of anarchy where drivers simply refuse to obey authority. It’s Gandhian civil disobedience where the rubber hits the road (snort…) literally!

1) The Burke-Gilman Trail
You may not know this, but certain parts of the Burke-Gilman Trail have a speed limit. 15 mph. My friend Kelly sure didn’t–she got a ticket for exceeding that mark. According to this 2007 Weekly article, the average speed on the BGT is 14 mph. And those racer dudes in the bright Spandex surely whiz by “on my left” a lot faster than that.

2) First Avenue South Bridge
This bridge, which you’ll take if you pick the underused 99-to-509 route to Sea-Tac, has metal grating, so the powers that be recommend you not drive more than 40 mph. PSHAW, say Seattle drivers. On this wide, relatively new three-lane highway, 60 mph is the norm. At 40 you’ll look like a canoe paddling through molasses.

3) Aurora (Pretty much the whole way)
From the viaduct (50 mph limit, but everyone goes 60) to the Aurora Bridge (40, but everyone goes 50) to the section north of Green Lake (35, but please), traffic speeds on Aurora. The most-speedingest part may be northbound on the Aurora Bridge, where a slight downhill grade lends itself to acceleration. SPD knows this too, and often sets up a speed trap just north of the end of the bridge. Beware!

**Digression: Once I was at Disneyland, and in one of their above-ground parking garages, there was a sign that said “Speed Limit: 12.” I found this paralyzingly hilarious, because imagine if you get pulled over for that. “Officer, what’s the problem–I was going 12.” “Well, I’m sorry, but I had you at 13.” Ha!**

4) Lake City Way
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, which is why savvy Seattleites have been using Lake City Way for generations to more quickly reach Tubs. The arterial rolls downhill from 80th to about 100th, and going the 35 mph speed limit on this stretch is not recommended unless you want to get tailgated by hungry sandwich lovers. (My friend Jason points out that he once got a ticket going 45 on Lake City Way, but I bet he was going faster.)

5) Lake Washington Boulevard
Given how gorgeous the view can be on this two-lane arterial hugging the western shoreline of Lake Washington, peeps should probably drive around 10 mph. But they have places to be, and therefore don’t hew to the 25 mph posted speed limit. Also, if you have a car that handles well, zipping around the curves is exhilarating. The exception here of course is when frigging recreational bikers (hi Dad!) clog up the road and force you to crawl behind them until you can pass.

There’s our top five. What are some of the most-ignored speed limits that we missed? And, most importantly, where are the speed traps??