The city’s Traffic Commission is considering lowering the speed limit from 30 to 25 miles per hour in residential neighborhoods and subdivisions. The cost would be about $200,000 to purchase new signs.
It’s hard to argue against a 25-mph speed limit in residential areas. I don’t have any objection to lowering the speed limit, provided the cost can be spread out by phasing in the changes over a few years. It certainly would be safer, assuming people actually drive slower. The arguments against this effort is that people will ignore the signs (like they do now, it’s argued), thus it won’t be the most effective use of $200,000. They may have a point.
I believe the speeding problem is systemic, and that’s why signs are believed to have little or no effect. To really get people to slow down, some fundamental changes in road design are needed.
When you build a road that has wide, multiple traffic lanes capable of accommodating speeds of 40 or 50 miles per hour, guess what you’re going to get? That’s right: people driving 40 or 50 miles per hour. It doesn’t matter what the sign says; people are going to drive up to the limit that’s comfortable given the road’s design.
Take Knoxville between War Memorial Drive and downtown, for instance: Five lanes (most of the way), 35-mph speed limit. And do you ever see anyone driving 35 miles per hour? Sure you do — you can’t miss them. They’re the ones getting passed by the rest of the motorists who are doing at least 45, if not 50.
This is true in residential areas as well. If you have wide collector streets that can easily handle 40- to 45-mph traffic, that’s what you’re going to see, despite the speed limit signs saying 30 or 25. The roads are wide in the mistaken belief that wide streets equal safer streets. But the inverse is actually true: narrower streets produce naturally lower speeds and end up being safer.
This is the theory behind “road diets.” You can read about it in this PDF report by Dan Burden and Peter Lagerwey. They write:
Nationwide, engineers are putting roads on “diets,” helping them lose lanes and width. In the process formerly “fat” streets often become leaner, safer, and more efficient. They become multi-modal and more productive. In many cases these former “warrior” roadways are tamed and turned into “angels.”
Often these changed roads set the stage for millions or megamillions of dollars in new commercial and residential development. The change can increase value of existing properties. In some cases costs of reconstructing roadways are repaid in as little as one year through increased sales tax or property tax
revenue.
The “Road Diets” report focuses on reducing arterial roadways. However, narrower streets (in concert with other calming measures, such as on-street parking) have been shown to reduce speeds and make roadways safer in general, as this report from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) shows.
To effect change in this area, the city’s subdivision ordinance would need to be amended, since that is where the design standards for street widths and on-street parking are codified (Municipal Code, Appendix A, Article V, Part I). Until changes are made to the way we build our roads, speeding is going to continue to be a problem, no matter how many signs we put up.
Great post CJ.
Like you, I am for lowering the speed limit in residential areas and I would like people to consider what is really causing higher speeds in their neighborhoods. How many readers know that I-74 travel lanes are 12ft wide and that most of Peoria’s travel lanes are the same and in many cases wider?
Do we really want highways running through our neighborhoods? Of course not. Yet, as it stands today, speed control signs are expected to successfully slow traffic, a concept that is proven to be unrealistic. When the roads are designed for speed people will drive over the speed limit because they can. Enforcement is difficult because it places too high a burden on our police force since they can’t be everywhere all of the time.
In areas where we want pedestrians, cyclists, and the disabled to feel comfortable and truly safe we need to introduce design elements that will provide automobile “friction” to naturally slow traffic down. Painting narrower lane lines, allowing on street parking and planting street trees will not only produce this necessary “friction” but it will create a more inviting place to be.
Thanks, Beth. I should mention to everyone that I was remiss in not giving Beth a hat tip on the “Road Diets” paper. She’s the one who told me about it originally. She has a wealth of knowledge on new urban traffic calming techniques; it’s too bad she hasn’t been dual appointed to someplace like the Traffic or Planning Commissions. She would be a real asset to those groups.
And vice versa- but as we know, sometimes it is better to- how did the PJ Star put it? “…agitate around the edges…” 😉
I live in the county on Farmington Rd. The speed limit here is 40 mph. No car, truck, van or whatever sees this speed except when they are going up or down and passing it. The standard speed along here is 65 mph. I have requested the sheriff’s office several times to check this out. Only one did I ever see on of them in the neighborhood. Also, there is a tonnage requirement on this road and believe me the trucks way surpass it. My house shakes when some of them go by. But no one seems to be enforcing the law. So what do we do about that? Watch some of the cars coming down off the road and crossing Kickapoo Creek Rd., they are screaming by the time they get to the bottom of the hill. And then the pick up speed again to go up the hill to Main St. Its never ending. But then again this is the county and not the city and we don’t count.
There is an effort underway by those in the Sheridan-Loucks (the Triangle) to try and resurface Sheridan from War Memorial to Main with BRICK. Hopefully the city listens.
Farmington Rd, there needs to be a serious re-engineering of the intersection with Kickapoo Creek Road. The need to move the intersection to the other side of the creek somehow.
Zero tolerance would be an answer.
If the speed limit were reduced, you and I would still drive 5 – 10 mph faster to keep out of the way of the other speeders. So reduce it to 25 and we will drive 30 or 35. Go to zero tolerance, no costs involved. I also believe there is very little return on investment in ticket writing these days. I rarely see anyone stopped in the 55MPH zone on I74. Tey driving 55 there and you will soon discover you are a trafic hazard to others.
Zero tolerance=zero sense. This 25 miles per hour is just stupid. It will throw more traffic onto overcrowded main streets; waste gas (the vast majority of vehicles are much less efficient at 25mph than they are at 30); and we absolutely do not need police resources wasted on ticketing someone going a few miles over 25 in their own neighborhood. Who started this lunacy?
Peoria has real problems, and they won’t be solved by low speed limits, let alone this “zero tolerance” nonsense. John must like police states. Maybe he should move to North Korea?
Except for the North Korea comment, I think The Mouse makes a good point. Who speeds on residential streets? The residents of that street, that’s who. We don’t need the cops to tell our neighbors to slow down. We can do that ourselves. Most of us drive cautiously in our own neighborhood. We wait till we get out on War or University or Knoxville, etc. before we drive like lunatics. (Note to people who live on those streets – Sorry you don’t live on a “residential street.”) If our neighbors insist on speeding on our neighborhood streets, tell ’em to slow down – there are kids playing, etc. When I was a kid (40 years + ago) a guy on our block wouldn’t slow down; my dad asked him politely to slow down. He wouldn’t. Next day dad stood in the street with a brick in each hand daring the guy to speed by our house. He didn’t – ever again. I’m not advocating violence, just the old neighborhood watch concept everybody is so high on these days.
dd, the North Korea comment wasn’t far out. Look around, cameras are popping up everywhere. Road blocks (sorry, “safety checks”) are now an accepted part of American life. You can’t go into an ever-lengthening list of “public” buildings without ID, intrusive searches, etc., etc.
We are being watched, recorded, searched and controlled, like a bunch of lab rats. I’m tired of it. This is supposed to be a free country. This is supposed to be the United States of America.
Leaner and safer I can understand – but more efficient? If thats the case, lets just cut all our roads down to single lanes and move traffic a LOT better.
If we are talking about neighborhood streets, I would support traffic calming – but on the arterial roads of the community the thought seems a little silly.
Mouse, you must be a journalist, since you missed the point on my zero tolerance bit. Now you are accusing me of being a N Korean terrorist? All I was stating is that the city could save $200k for the new signs by enforcing the current signs. I was not advocating that you slow down. I suspect that you are one of these people that drive 10 MPH over the speed limit all the time wondering in your mind what the “tolerance” is today so that you can fet somewhere early, all the while with your cell phone up to your ear.
Never let it be said that I would want you to drive the posted speed. You have rights.
John, I did not accuse you of being a terrorist, and I’m sorry I missed your point. I just get really upset by this crazy “zero tolerance” stuff; the constant creeping police state; the escalating penalties for minor infractions; regulations piled on regulations piled on laws, making us all into “criminals”, meanwhile letting real crime and violence go on almost unhindered. I remember when they passed the seat belt law. They told us they would never use that as an excuse to stop someone. Fines were to be low, and warnings were given out. It was just a safety measure. But, it wasn’t long before the fines went up and we are now constantly threatened with “CLICK IT OR TICKET!”. With roadblocks now legal (and common) they don’t even have to have an excuse to stop you. For the record, John, I wear my seatbelt, I don’t dispute that it’s a good idea. That’s not the point. The point is how much power the state has over us.
Yes, I do believe there are those who are actively working to turn this country into a police state; they, after all, know what’s best for us.
So, Mouse, on another website someone mentioned S. 1858 passed April 2008 … does that add to your police state theory?
Western Ave., between Main St. and Moss Ave., is a five lane road with a posted speed limit of 30 mph. Forrest Hill is a two lane road with a posted speed of 40 mph. Go figure.
Forrest Hill has a 30 mph speed limit.
Western, Main, Forest Hill… yeah they have posted speed limits, but does anyone actually drive that speed. Mmm not many. That includes the police too.
I think it would be a fair statement to say that if you are not driving 5 to 10 mph over the limit in Peoria then something is up. A sort of reverse profile.
Yes, Karrie, it certainly does. Another invasion of privacy passed with little debate and little publicity, cloaked in a nice sounding name. What would you call it? The enemies of freedom never propose an “Invade People’s Privacy Act”. There is always a plausible sounding excuse to invade our privacy and take away our rights. The “X Saves Life Act”; the “Patriot Act” the “X Safety Act”; “The X Eduction Act”; etc., etc. Who could possibly oppose health, safety, security, peace, education, and so forth? Beware the wolf in sheep’s clothing inside the gate, for he is far more dangerous than the wolf at the gate.
Bravo Mouse!
Fascism has reared its ugly head in America and we are the victims of it. From Imminent domain to National IDs and RFID chips, we have lost the liberty that millions died thinking they were fighting for. In the meantime the Fed reduces the prime and funds rate from 4 to 2 and mortgage rates do what???? Nothing. Who is benefiting from oil prices almost tripling in 2 years? Who benefits from government deregulation of the pharmaceutical and health industries? Who benefits from free trade (ha! what’s free about free trade? Free for whom?) Who benefits from no FCC regulation of advertising? Who benefits from deregulated banking and insurance?
Certainly not the vulgaris! Certainly not consumers!
50 years ago C Wright Mills warned about the power elite in America and the dissolution of the middle class. Military. Politics and Economics are now inseparable.