Bellevue drivers caught speeding on 148th Avenue Northeast, Northeast Eighth Street or Forest Drive Southeast now face $124 tickets in the mail.

The city's four new speed safety cameras shifted from warnings to live citations on Tuesday, Sept. 29, after a 30-day grace period that began Aug. 17.

During that window, the seven-day average of speeding events at the four sites dropped 40%, the city said.

The cameras are part of a regional wave of automated enforcement. But the contrast with Tacoma shows how differently the programs can play out.

Tacoma's cameras overwhelmed by volume

Two speed cameras in Northeast Tacoma recorded nearly 400,000 drivers exceeding a 40 mph limit between Sept. 14 and Oct. 11, MyNorthwest reported, citing data from The Tacoma News Tribune.

About 77% of all drivers were speeding. The camera vendor could only process 100 randomly selected vehicle owners per camera each day, turning enforcement into what KIRO Newsradio host Ursula Reutin called "Tacoma Traffic Roulette." Each citation carries a $145 fine.

More than 180 drivers were clocked at 70 mph or higher in the 40 mph zone. More than 1,300 residents had signed a petition asking officials for traffic calming on the corridor. Tacoma plans to activate six more cameras starting in January 2027.

How Bellevue's program differs

Bellevue's system works on a smaller scale. The city issues citations to every driver caught exceeding the posted limit by 8 mph or more. No lottery.

A Bellevue Police Department official reviews each violation before a ticket goes out. The fine is $124 for a standard infraction and $248 in a school zone. The tickets are classified as civil infractions and do not affect a driver's record or insurance rates. Recipients on public assistance or in the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) can request a 50% reduction.

Transportation Director Andrew Singelakis said in an Aug. 13 city announcement that the cameras "build on Bellevue's ongoing efforts to reduce speeding, prevent serious crashes and create safer streets for our entire community."

Bellevue contracted with Verra Mobility to run the technology. The cameras photograph the rear of vehicles and record the date, time and location of each violation.

More cameras coming

The city plans to install three more cameras later in 2026 at Bellevue Way Southeast near the South Bellevue Park and Ride, Coal Creek Parkway Southeast and 116th Avenue Northeast near Aegis Living Bellevue Overlake.

Coal Creek Parkway is part of Bellevue's "High Injury Network," the streets where the most fatal and serious-injury crashes occur, KING 5 reported in August.

In all, the city analyzed 95 candidate sites using crash, speed and citation data before selecting seven locations for 14 Phase 1 cameras.

Forest Drive Southeast resident Arlen Levy, whose home sits alongside one of the camera corridors, told KING 5 in August that drivers had knocked down power poles and left skid marks across her lawn.

"I welcome them," Levy said. "It checks me, it checks my speed. I'm certainly checking my speedometer more often now."

The city's speed camera program dates to 2009. The Bellevue City Council formally adopted the expansion on Dec. 9, 2025, after a state law change allowed cameras beyond school zones.

Four of the eight cameras installed in August were vandalized before citations began, and Bellevue police increased patrols around the sites. Residents can check each camera's status on the city's online map.