Your sister cities have started reducing vehicle speeds, have you?

Photo credit: WalkSJ, California Walks

What would you prefer: Biking or walking on a street with vehicles driving at 40-50mph or on a street with vehicles driving at 25mph or lower? In a recent survey that SVBC conducted, 40% of respondents said they would be comfortable cycling next to 25 mph traffic, which drops to 11% with 45 mph traffic. The risk of crashing into and fatally injuring someone while driving decreases dramatically when a vehicle is traveling 20 to 25 mph instead of 40. According to NACTO the fatality rate at 20mph is 10%, at 30pmh is 40% and at 40mph is 80%!

All of the above clearly indicates that having low speed limits is an important component of making streets safer!

In a recent discussion by the Menlo Park City Council, a majority of members favored new speed restrictions on some streets and discussed the possibility of lowering speeds citywide to 25 mph. The Council voted to reduce speeds on Chilco Street, Constitution Drive, Middle Avenue, Olivia Street and O’Brien Drive after completing the required speed study and asked staff to look into expanding the areas that constitute “school zones” (means in, or on the grounds of, a public, parochial or private school; or within a distance of 1,000 feet) with mandatory 25 mph speed limits (wherever it is higher), to the maximum extent possible. Read more here.

SVBC has always been advocating for lower speeds on streets because they are safer. When Covid struck, SVBC sent out letters to all cities in SMC and SCC with recommendations for actions, one of which included reducing traffic speeds. We believe a reduced speed advisory publicized by the city and local police will help raise awareness and lead to fewer crashes and injuries among people and lessen burden on the healthcare system. Lower speed limits align with our Vision Zero efforts where our goal is to have zero deaths or life-altering injuries due to roadway design. 

How can cities lower speed limits?

• The California Vehicle Code lays out certain procedures for setting speed limits. Cities are required to regularly update speed limits using an “Engineering and Traffic Survey” in order to be able to use radar or lidar for speed limit enforcement. Such studies look at how fast vehicles travel on roads and identify the “85th percentile” speed – or the speed at or below which 85% of traffic usually travels. Generally the number is rounded to the nearest 5 mph interval, but in some circumstances the number may be rounded down to the nearest 5 mile per hour interval, based on factors like the collision history of the street, home and business density and bike and pedestrian safety.

• Because of the “Engineering and Traffic Survey” rule, cities can not lower speed limits without losing the ability to enforce them. This rule is archaic and it needs to be overturned at the state level to make our streets safer. Meanwhile, the city staff and council could take two possible approaches:

  • Lower speed limits if allowed by the 85% rule.

  • If not allowed by the 85% rule, implement traffic calming and then lower the speed limit based on the new actual speed survey results.

• With respect to school streets, state law cvc 22358.4 already allows cities to lower the speed limit on streets adjoining schools to 15 mph without doing any speed surveys.

• Check SVBC’s factsheet on reducing speed limits.

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Similar changes that have been done by other cities in the area:

• Sunnyvale adopted a Resolution to establish 15 Mile Per Hour Speed Zones at 35 Locations adjacent to 16 Public Schools

• City of Sacramento Reduces Speed Limits Near Schools to 15 mph

• City of Los Altos: School Speed Zone Limit reduced to 15mph in 2016

• Palo Alto: Reducing posted limit in school zones to 15mph

Some countrywide examples:

• New Orleans adopted an ordinance allowing the Public Works Department to implement Neighborhood Slow Zones. First up: the famously multimodal French Quarter, where speed limits will be reduced from 25 mph to 15 mph by the end of the year.

• The Twin Cities of Minneapolis-Saint Paul rolled out 20 mph speed limits on city-owned residential streets following statewide legislation permitting speed limits reductions from the former 30 mph default.

• Does all this news make you nostalgic for the 85th percentile? This explainer video from Grist, featuring NACTO’s City Limits guidance, should fix that.

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Where does your city stand with respect to lowering speeds? Let us know if SVBC can help support this initiative in your city.

For Santa Clara County contact: john@bikesiliconvalley.org

For San Mateo County contact Sandhya@bikesiliconvalley.org