Laserfiche WebLink
<br />8A <br />Page 10 <br /> <br />Local Speed Limits Impacted by Recent Change to California Traffic Manual <br /> <br />The California Traffic Control Devices Committee (CTCDC) has ruled to approve a language <br />change in the California Traffic Control Manual to clarify how local speed limits may be set. The <br />ruling came following two days of workshops and hearings with city and county officials. <br /> <br />CTCDC was prompted to make this change due to major variations in the interpretation and <br />application of the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Section 28.13 <br />section, to better distinguish the differences between "within" to "round to the nearest" 5 mph for <br />setting local speed limits. The changes now include: <br /> <br />· Posted speed limits will be set "within" 5 mph of 85th percentile; <br />. Jurisdictions can lower this speed by an additional five mph based on conditions/factors <br />cited in the California Vehicle Code; <br />. Posted speeds shall not be below the 50th percentile. <br /> <br />On October 10, CTCDC, the official advisory body to the California's Department of <br />Transportation, hosted a special workshop in Sacramento to discuss changes to MUTCD, <br />affecting local speed limits in California. <br /> <br />Approximately 30 representatives from cities and counties were in attendance and provided <br />feedback through small group discussions that reviewed options and provided input on what their <br />individual cities/counties deemed as the best solution. In addition to the group discussions, <br />attendees they were given an exercise to apply their option to a mock speed survey and present <br />the resulting posted speed limit. <br /> <br />A number of issues were identified by participant cities/counties: <br /> <br />. Jurisdictions expressed a desire to have the option to round down based on special <br />criteria not apparent to drivers. <br />. Criteria or qualifications for rounding down have yet to be determined. <br />· Change of speed limit affects street aesthetics. <br />. 2004 verbiage/policy is confusing and should be transparent. <br /> <br />In addition to comments received at the workshop, CTCDC received more than a dozen written <br />comments from cities/counties. <br /> <br />On Thursday, October 11, CTCDC held a Public Hearing on the speed limit and deliberated for. <br />three hours before approving the changes to MUTCD. <br /> <br />CTCDC felt strongly about the need to set a floor in determining speed limits to prevent <br />jurisdictions from creating artificial speed zones that would inadvertently make a majority of the <br />drivers in violation of the speed limit. The 50th percentile floor was determined as the fairest <br />measure to prevent this from occurring. <br /> <br />During its winter/Jan. 2008 meeting, CTCDC will determine dates and potential allowances for <br />retroactivity in applying this new change; coordinate outreach to cities and counties; and <br />"cleanup" language. <br /> <br />League Involvement <br /> <br />In June, the League of California Cities Transportation Public Works and Communication Policy <br />(TCPW) Committee appointed a special sub-committee in partnership with the city of Thousand <br />Oaks to study the proposed options and their impact on local speed limits. <br /> <br />Council Members Thomas Glancy (city of Thousand Oaks) and Julie Pierce (city of Clayton) <br />participated in the workshop on behalf of their individual cities, as well as representatives of the <br />Speed Limit Sub-Committee. They were both pleased by the responsiveness of CTCDC in <br /> <br />10 <br />