Seattle cops look for Aurora speeders -- at Krispy Kreme Effort with other agencies is part of Aurora Traffic Safety Project

The all-day April 14 driving patrol will include a police command center at North 125th Street and Aurora Avenue North. (Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.com) The all-day April 14 driving patrol will include a police command center at North 125th Street and Aurora Avenue North. (Joshua Trujillo/seattlepi.com) Photo: SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Seattle cops look for Aurora speeders -- at Krispy Kreme 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

In three hours Thursday morning, police gave 120 tickets as part of a speeding patrol in North Seattle.

More than 50 Seattle police personnel were working Aurora Avenue North and joined by six State Patrol troopers and three teams from the State Liquor Control Board.

The police command center was established at North 125th Street and Aurora Avenue North – an intersection that's home to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

The emphasis was expected to continue all day.

The effort is part of the Aurora Traffic Safety Project, a two-year-effort to reduce accidents on the street, which is known for speeding around the Aurora Bridge and has historically had a high number of jaywalkers hit.

Between April 2005 and March 2008, there were 1,581 accidents on Aurora – nearly 46 accidents per month, according to city statistics.

Between 2002 and 2006, 61 pedestrians were struck while jaywalking on Rainier Avenue South - nearly double the number of accidents on Aurora Avenue North, which was second with 35, according to Seattle Transportation Department records.

The Aurora Traffic Safety Project is funded in part by a Washington Traffic Safety Commission Grant and by the State Department of Transportation.

The effort has brought signs and billboards to the corridor, which was completed through Woodland Park in 1932. The nearby Aurora Bridge, officially called the George Washington Memorial Bridge, was dedicated Feb. 22, 1932, which was the 200th anniversary of Washington's birthday.

It also added a left turn signal at Aurora Avenue North and North 80th Street – something neighbors said was long overdue – new crosswalks and curb ramps, radar speed signs. The Seattle Department of Transportation says 32 new curb ramps are being constructed between North 86th Street and North 97th Street.

Click here to download a PDF summary of the similar Rainier Traffic Safety Project.

In September 2009, seattlepi.com shadowed Seattle Police Officer J. Dean Shirey doing speed patrols. He said he didn't mind telling people where speed traps are because those are areas known for aggressive drivers, and officers are trying to prevent that through education.

Here are the places he mentioned:

For more Seattle police and crime news visit the front page of the Seattle 911 blog.

Casey McNerthney can be reached at 206-448-8220 or caseymcnerthney@seattlepi.com. Follow Casey on Twitter at twitter.com/mcnerthney.