SEATTLE -- A judge has tossed out a man's ticket for speeding through a Seattle school zone, saying the sign is too wordy.
Jason Canfield received a camera-generated $234 speeding ticket in the mail in March 2016, The Seattle Times reports.
Seattle Municipal Court originally upheld the fine, but Canfield took the case to King County Superior Court, acting as his own attorney.
Judge Catherine Moore reversed the court decision, agreeing with Canfield that the wordy signage prohibited him from slowing down in time.
About the driver---he's not against the intent behind the signage.
Canfield, who works in juvenile probation, was driving south and looking for a client’s apartment along Delridge, then a 35 mph corridor. Canfield says he saw the flashers too late to decelerate to 20 mph. The time was 9:14 a.m., or 21 minutes before the start of class at Louisa Boren STEM K-8 school. He recalls seeing no children along the street.
“I have an 8-year-old daughter, and I’m not in favor of speeding in school zones,” he said. He suggests the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) install stronger advance-warning signs. “To make it so people pay fines unintentionally, that’s dishonest.”
Officials at the Seattle Department of Transportation did not say whether they plan to alter or remove any signs.