This bill adds a new section to chapter 46.61 RCW creating a “shared street” designation that a local authority may apply to nonarterial streets if the local authority has developed procedures for establishing shared streets. On a shared street, vehicular traffic must yield to pedestrians, bicyclists, and operators of micromobility devices, and bicyclists and micromobility operators must yield to pedestrians. The bill defines “micromobility device” by reference to certain nonmotorized and motorized scooter and electric assistive device definitions, and it amends multiple existing RCW sections to except shared streets from several pedestrian and bicycle provisions. The act modifies existing law on speed limits and passing: it authorizes local authorities to set a 20 mph limit on nonarterial highways or parts thereof and a 10 mph limit on shared streets, and allows these local speed limits to be established without an engineering and traffic investigation if the local authority has procedures for doing so; a speed limit set under this authority may be canceled within one year without an engineering and traffic investigation. The bill also adds mandatory additional fines for certain overtaking and passing violations (including passing rules involving motorcycles, motor-driven cycles, mopeds, and when approaching pedestrians, bicyclists, riders of animals, or certain slow-moving equipment); those fines are deposited into the vulnerable roadway user education account, and courts may waive the additional fines only if the offender is found indigent. The Secretary of Transportation and the manual on uniform traffic control devices are referenced for conformity and consultation. The bill changes bicycle operation rules by amending bicycle-related statutes: a bicycle operator may use a dedicated right-turn lane when approaching an intersection even if not turning, may ride in a travel lane to overtake and pass another bicycle or vehicle, may leave the travel lane to avoid unsafe conditions, may ride near the left side of the left through lane on one-way streets with multiple lanes, may use the shoulder or specially designated bicycle lanes, and must not ride more than two abreast on roadways except on exclusive bicycle paths. Those bicycle provisions and several pedestrian crossing and overtaking provisions are stated not to apply on shared streets. The amendment to RCW 46.61.770 is incomplete in the provided text, and the bill refers to local procedures and external definitions (e.g., motorized foot scooter, EPAMD, and vulnerable user definitions) that are not detailed in the extracted facts. The bill was read for the first time on 01/31/25.

If enacted, cities and other local traffic authorities would be able to create "shared streets" on nonarterial roads where cars must yield to pedestrians, bicyclists, and micromobility devices and where bicyclists and micromobility devices must yield to pedestrians. Local governments could also set lower local speed limits (down to 20 mph on nonarterials and 10 mph on shared streets) without conducting an engineering study if they have adopted procedures and consult the traffic control manual, which will likely require them to install official signs and establish local procedures and enforcement practices. The people most affected will be local governments, drivers, cyclists, micromobility users, and pedestrians: cities gain new options but also responsibilities and likely small costs for signage, procedure development, and enforcement; drivers face more mandatory yielding duties and new additional fines for unsafe passing that fund vulnerable roadway user education; cyclists gain explicit permissions to use turn lanes, travel lanes, shoulders, and to avoid hazards (though those bicycle rules do not apply on shared streets). The bill leaves unclear what specific procedures cities must adopt to create shared streets and the text of one bicycle-related amendment is incomplete, so some implementation details remain uncertain.