Tag: speed limits

SANTA MONICA—On August 28, the city of Santa Monica announced in a press release that speed limits on more than 30 miles of Santa Monica streets will be lowered, following unanimous approval by the Santa Monica City Council on August 27.

The reductions are the results of a speed survey conducted earlier this year to ensure the speed limits remain valid. The survey, conducted from January 27 through July 29, includes measurement of vehicular speeds along roadway segments to determine the speed of a majority of drivers, which is the most effective attribute in establishing speed limits.

The study recommended only one increase in speed limit, from 25 to 30 miles per hour, on a 0.3-mile segment of California Avenue. A full list of approved speed adjustments, recommended in consultation with the Santa Monica Police Department, is included below.

The city will begin rolling out new signage exhibiting the updated speed limits this fall. The proposed speed limit changes support the city’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating fatal and severe injury crashes on city streets by improving safety for all roadway users.

The Santa Monica City Council adopted Vision Zero in February 2016. Unsafe speed is the second most common violation cited in fatal and severe crashes in the city, at 14 percent of the total. Crashes at slower speeds are less likely to result in fatalities, and the application of reasonable and safe speed limits allows for effective enforcement of speed limits throughout the region.

“Reducing vehicle speeds on our roads is vital to create safer conditions for getting around in our city,” said Department of Transportation Director Anuj Gupta. “It is one of the many ways Santa Monica is creating a street network that is more safe, connected and attractive for all roadway users.”

The ordinance will be adopted 30 days after the second reading, which is anticipated for September 10. For more details, view the staff report here.

Reduction to 35 mph

1. Olympic Boulevard between 11th Street and Centinela Avenue – from 40 to 35 mph
   Reduction to 30 mph
2. Lincoln Boulevard between I-10 Freeway and Pico Boulevard – from 35 to 30 mph
3. Ocean Park Boulevard between 23rd Street and Centinela Avenue – from 35 to 30 mph
4. Pico Boulevard between Lincoln Boulevard and Centinela Avenue – from 35 to 30 mph

Reduction to 25 mph

5. 2nd Street between Wilshire Boulevard and Colorado Avenue — from 30 to 25 mph
6. 4th Street between Colorado Avenue and Pico Boulevard — from 30 to 25 mph
7. 11th Street between San Vicente Boulevard and Marine Street — from 30 to 25 mph
8. 14th Street between San Vicente Boulevard and Ashland Avenue — from 30 to 25 mph
9. 20th Street between Wilshire and Pico boulevards — from 30 to 25 mph
10. 26th Street between San Vicente and Cloverfield boulevards – from 30 to 25 mph
11. Colorado Avenue between Ocean Avenue and 17th Street — from 30 to 25 mph
12. Dewey Street between Robson Avenue and 23rd Street — from 30 to 25 mph
13. Main Street between Colorado Avenue and Pico Boulevard — from 30 to 25 mph
14. Marine Street between Lincoln Boulevard and 17th Street — from 30 to 25 mph
15. Montana Avenue between Ocean Avenue and Stanford Street — from 30 to 25 mph
16. Neilson Way between Pico Boulevard and Marine Street — from 30 to 25 mph
17. Ocean Avenue between the north city limit and Pico Boulevard — from 30 to 25 mph
18. Ocean Park Boulevard between Barnard Way and 23rd Street — from 30 to 25 mph
19. Pico Boulevard between Appian Way and Lincoln Boulevard — from 35 to 25 mph
20. Stewart Street between Colorado Avenue and Pico Boulevard — from 30 to 25 mph
21. Wilshire Boulevard between Ocean Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard — from 30 to 25 mph

Reduction to 20 mph

22. 6th Street between Pico Boulevard and Pier Avenue — from 30 to 20 mph
23. 20th Street between Pico and Ocean Park boulevards — from 25 to 20 mph
24. Appian Way between Pacific Coast Highway and Bay Street — from 25 to 20 mph
25. Ashland Avenue between Neilson Way and Lincoln Boulevard — from 25 to 20 mph
26. Barnard Way between Hollister Avenue and Neilson Way — from 25 to 20 mph
27. California Avenue between Ocean Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard — from 25 to 20 mph
28. Michigan Avenue between Lincoln Boulevard and 19th Street — from 25 (statutory) to 20 mph
29. Washington Avenue between Ocean Avenue and Stanford Street — from 25 to 20 mph

Increase to 30 MPH

1. California Avenue between Pacific Coast Highway and Ocean Avenue (also known as the California Incline) — from 25 to 30 mph

By Trevor

WEST HOLLYWOOD—The city of West Hollywood indicated in a press release on Wednesday, January 3 that it is in the process of reducing the speed limits on N. Fairfax Avenue and on Fountain Avenue, west of Fairfax Avenue from 35 miles per hour to 30 miles per hour, after the results of a recently conducted Engineering and Traffic Survey (E&TS).

The city noted new speed limit signage will be installed, and new speed limits will be enforced starting in early 2024. Speed limits in California are governed by the California Vehicle Code (CVC), which states that an E&TS must justify the speed limit on all streets other than local streets if enforcement of the speed limit involves using radar or any other electronic device.

In West Hollywood, 24 street segments are not classified as local streets, and those streets require an E&TS to justify the posted speed limits. The city recently retained a traffic engineering consulting firm to prepare a 2023 survey. The State of California guidelines for setting new speed limits, revising existing speed limits, and/or maintaining existing speed limits include the following items: prevailing speeds as determined by traffic engineering measurements; collision records for the most recent two years; and roadway, traffic, and roadside conditions not readily apparent to the driver (i.e., pedestrian activities, bicycle routes, on-street parking, proximity of schools, land use adjacent to the roadway, etc.).

The survey results note that the posted speed limits for 22 of the 24 street segments that were evaluated will remain unchanged. The study indicates speed limit should be reduced on two street segments: N. Fairfax Avenue between the north and south city boundaries (at Fountain Avenue to the north and Willoughby Avenue to the south); and at Fountain Avenue between N. La Cienega Boulevard and N. Fairfax Avenue.

To comply with state law, the posted speed limits on these two street segments will be reduced by 5 miles per hour, from 35 mph to 30 mph. The findings were approved by the West Hollywood City Council in adopting a Resolution at its regular City Council meeting on October 16, 2023.

For more details contact Richard Garland, West Hollywood Principal Traffic Engineer, at (323) 848-6457 or at rgarland@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing call the West Hollywood’s TTY line (323) 848-6496.

By Trevor