Here’s what you need to know about new speed limits in effect in Bellingham
Bellingham drivers will need to ease off the gas pedal now that new lower speed limits took effect last week across the city, part of an effort to make its 670 “lane miles” of roadways safer for drivers, bicyclists and people on foot.
The minimum speed is now 20 mph, meaning that is the limit for neighborhood streets and in the downtown core, Public Works Department spokesman Connor Harron told The Bellingham Herald.
“The first signs are scheduled for installation in August. This will include the gateway ‘20 mph unless otherwise posted’ signs and a small number of 20 mph signs in the downtown area,” Harron said in an email.
“Regarding education, we are planning an awareness campaign this summer aligned with the sign installation to clarify what the updated speed limits mean and why the change is happening,” he said.
That means that drivers shouldn’t expect to get ticketed immediately. Speed limits will be rolled out gradually over the next few years, according to recent City Council presentations.
Many streets will see reductions of 5 to 10 mph, such as Lakeway Drive from Puget Street to Electric Avenue, where the speed will drop to 30 mph from 35 mph.
“This is a very welcome change. This is a policy discussion, and I’m glad it’s been brought forward,” Councilman Michael Lilliquist said during a discussion on the lower speed settings in October 2025.
Key to the plan is data showing that a pedestrian who is hit by a car going 20 mph has a 90% chance of survival. People have a 50-50 chance of surviving a crash if they are hit by a car at 30 mph. That drops to a 10% chance if they are hit by a car going 40 mph, according to previous Bellingham Herald reporting.
On average, nearly half of all fatal or serious-injury crashes involve a pedestrian or bicyclist.
Traffic deaths and injuries have tripled across Bellingham over the past five years compared to the five years before that, according to previous Herald reporting and data obtained from the Washington State Department of Transportation:
- From 2015 to 2019, there were five traffic deaths on Bellingham streets. That includes a 2017 crash that killed a bicyclist.
- From 2020-2024, there were 15 traffic fatalities, including 10 bicyclists and pedestrians.
- Four people were killed on Bellingham streets in 2025, including one pedestrian.
More than half of Bellingham streets have a 25 mph speed limit, and more than a third of its streets have a 35 mph limit. Only 3% or streets have a limit of 50 mph or higher, according to previous Herald reporting.
