Washington lawmakers could try again to ban studded tires

OLYMPIA, Wash – Lawmakers in Washington could once again try to ban the use of studded tires on snowy roads, citing millions of dollars in damage they cause.

The Washington State Transportation Commission’s most recent annual report says banning the use of studded tires would save the state up to $29 million a year.

The commission says that damage is just on state roads and highways and that the damage to city and county streets is millions more.

Right now, it’s legal to have studded tires in Washington between November 1st and March 31st. Drivers caught with studded tires outside of those dates face a $137 fine.

Tire shops now collect a $5 fee for every studded tire sold. Since that fee was put into place, the use of studded tires reduced dramatically.

“The current fee on studded tires of $5 has generated an average of $315,000 annually over the past five years – a fraction of the damage the tires cause to Washington’s roadways,” the report says.

WSTC and WSDOT says affordable alternatives are safe and do less damage to the roads, so “the time is now to phase out studded tires and save our pavement.”

The commission recommends increasing the fee from $5 to $50 and rename the fee “the pavement impact fee.”

Then, the commission suggests studded tires should be phased out over several years.

Washington lawmakers have tried for years to move through bills that would ban studded tires, but the most recent bill in 2019 didn’t make it out of committee.

The Spokane City Council has listed supporting the ban as one of its legislative priorities this session, saying “Metal-studded tires cause significant damage to local roadways while providing marginal benefits in a narrow range of environmental conditions. To improve road safety and reduce the escalating cost of street repair, the City of Spokane supports the Washington Traffic Safety Commission’s proposal for a statewide ban of metal-studded tires with a two-year phaseout.”