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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPW Speed Limit Enforcement Study ReportnC'ry cl�aott . 1 Agenda Item No: 5.a Meeting Date: 4/2/13 SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT Department: Public Works Prepared by: Director of Public Works SUBJECT: REPORT ON ESTABLISHING SPEED LIMITS Manager Approval: File No.: RECOMMENDATION: Accept the report and direct staff to re-establish routine traffic engineering studies and speed limit enforcement. BACKGROUND: Speed limits are determined based on traffic and engineering studies and surveys. They are ally established near the 85`h percentile of speed, i.e., where 85 percent of drivers travel at that speed or lower. The methodology used is established by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), a Federal Highway Administration publication. On July 1, 2009, pursuant to sections 21400 and 21401 of the California Vehicle Code (CVC), the California Department of Transportation issued a directive that updated (MUTCD) policies, including the establishment of speed limits. This change restricted the ability of the traffic engineers to establish speed limits, and consequently required the increase of speed limits on certain City streets. On April 19, 2010, in cooperation with Lt. Glenn McElderry of the San Rafael Police Department, staff presented information on the new California speed limit policies to the City Council at a study session. In order for the Police Department to enforce speed limits by use of radar or lidar (laser radar), the California Vehicle Code (sections 40801, 40802 and 627) requires that engineering and traffic surveys be conducted and certified by a registered traffic or civil engineer prior to enforcement unless exempted in other sections of the CVC. After discussing these issues and listening to resident concerns that raising speed limits would cause the 85% percentile speed to rise significantly and create unsafe conditions on neighborhood streets, the City Council requested that staff update speed surveys on only a few arterials. Public Works conducted an after -study to determine the impact of the raised speed limit and report back to the Council before any residential street speed limits were established or raised. Budget reductions and staff work load reallocations in the Police and Public Works departments had a direct bearing on this process. As a result, only a handful of street speed surveys were updated. They are: File No.: - , Council Meeting: 14 } Disposition: 7 7 t &0-_,— edu I �I cit= F r_e w CITY OF SAN RAFAEL INSTRUCTIONS: USE THIS FORM WITH EACH SUBMITTAL OF A CONTRACT, AGREEMENT, ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION BEFORE APPROVAL BY COUNCIL / AGENCY. SRRA/ SRCC AGENDA ITEM NO. 5-a DATE OF MEETING: 4/2/13 FROM: Nader Mansourian DEPARTMENT: Public Works DATE: 3/27/13 TITLE OF DOCUMENT: REPORT ON ESTABLISHING SPEED LIMITS. Department Head (signature) (LOWER HALF OF FORM FOR APPROVALS ONLY) FAw-UNNARM City,;`Manag&js�ignatore) AWWWA U-9-w-irm REMARKS: IL/AGENCY City Attorney (signature)