Governor Signs Washington's First-in-the-Nation Shared Streets Law
You might be surprised to learn it is illegal for a city in Washington State to set a speed limit lower than 20 miles per hour, but it’s true. The top speed of many e-bikes is essentially the minimum speed limit for cars on any public street. However, starting on July 27th, that will change. Under Senate Bill 5595, signed on Saturday by Governor Bob Ferguson, Washington cities will have the legal authority to create a new type of street that features much lower speed limits and puts pedestrians first.
What is a shared street?
A shared street, as defined by SB 5595, has a speed limit of 10 miles per hour and allows pedestrians to walk in the center of the street. Jaywalking laws — an early project of the auto industry — no longer apply. Cars are allowed but pedestrians have the right of way.
Rather than requiring pedestrians to conform to a highly ritualized process of walking along and crossing the street at specified times and locations so as to privilege cars, SB 5595 exempts pedestrians from this process and gives them true priority. The law establishes a clear hierarchy where bicycles must yield to pedestrians, and cars must yield to bicycles.
Shared streets may be new in the United States but they are common across Europe, where they go by various names such as “woonerf” or “home zone.”
https://www.theurbanist.org/2025/05/19/governor-signs-washingtons-first-in-the-nation-shared-streets-law/