SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane resident are probably used to driving 20 miles per hour in a school zone, but starting this summer, they'll need to drive that same speed past city parks.
Six Spokane city parks have adopted a 20 miles per hour speed limit drivers must follow when driving by. The new speed limit will only be in effect during the summer. The six parks that have these new speed limits are:
- Comstock Park
- A.M. Cannon Park
- Chief Garry Park
- Hays Park
- Lincoln Park
- Mission Park
"These are just parks that have been identified as the busier, more popular parks that are along busier streets," said Josh Morrisey, an official with the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department.
At Comstock Park, many people couldn't wait for the change and hope this seasonal speed limit will keep children safe.
"It's terrific. I wish more people were aware of it," said Colleen Mastor, who lives near Comstock Park. "A lot of kids on bikes and skateboards and little kids weren't paying attention. So 20 miles an hour, that's plenty to go around the park."
The Spokane Police Department says they'll be enforcing the new speed limits. Violators could face a fine of a couple hundred dollars or much more depending on their speed.
"When we lower the speed limits like this, it gives drivers a lot more time to respond if something like that happened, and it could prevent an accident," Morrisey said.
The slower speed limit near parks will be in effect until Sept. 5, 2023. For Chester Caskey, that means safer walks to Comstock Park with his dogs.
"They have no intention of stopping," Caskey said. "My little dogs here and I have almost got run down in crosswalks here at Comstock."
The city of Spokane told KREM 2 they'll remove the signs before school begins this fall. The 20 mile per hour speed limit near parks are only seasonal for now, but the city could revisit making it permanent depending on community response.
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