Washington Passes First US ‘Shared Streets’ Law

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed a bill that allows cities to create “shared streets” with speed limits of 10 miles per hour that allow pedestrians to use the middle of the street.

As Mark Ostrow explains in The Urbanist, Senate Bill 5595 eliminates jaywalking laws on shared streets, giving pedestrians true priority. For Ostrow, “Shared streets have the potential to dramatically change the way we move around cities in the state of Washington.”

The model, common in Europe and Asia, allows for multiple traffic modes while improving safety for all users. “Residents use shared streets as an extension of their homes, cafes spill into the street, and children move about freely.”

Ostrow offers examples from global cities, showing how even wide boulevards can become pedestrian-oriented corridors. Ostrow cites three key characteristics of successful shared streets: low speed limits, the legal right for pedestrians to use the entire street, and “a physical design compatible with the other two.” Washington’s SB 5595 offers the first two — but not the third, Ostrow notes. It will be up to cities to bring infrastructure up to a safe standard to make streets truly safe and walkable.