COUNCIL PUTS SPEED LIMIT CHANGES IN GEAR

City to see mph increases, decreases and school zone changes

By Evan McLean
Staff writer

    Sequim City Council ended a slow process to change speed limits by adopting a plan that both increases and decreases mph limits on city streets.

    Police Chief Robert Spinks and Public Works director Jim Bay and their departments collaborated to create an encompassing review of speed zones in the city in fall 2006. They started by placing speed-measuring devices across city streets to gather data to support current speed limits or changes.

    ?We were using the 85th percentile rule,? Spinks said. ?It?s a national formula that sets a speed limit separating the bottom 85 percent of vehicle speeds from the top 15 percent.?

    He said the formula creates zones based on what people are most likely to comply with while still maintaining the safety of the driving, walking and biking public. A school zone, for instance, has safety requirements different from a commuter zone.

    Councilors debated time frames and areas for Sequim's school zone. Right now the school zone is active seven days a week, and councilors agreed to change that.

    ?I think that having the school zone active over summer and weekends may be overkill,? Councilor John Beitzel said. ?Part of setting these limits implies that we will enforce them.?

    Spinks said his department would be fine with any recommendation but said the preferred alternative was 365 days of school zone from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and that departing school Superintendent Garn Christensen had the same opinion.

Some councilors echoed concern for speed reductions over the weekends for events like the Home Show. City engineer William Bullock responded.

    ?If you keep school zones as signifying safe driving because of school children, drivers will be attentive to that ? the children,? Bullock said. ?Whereas if you include events like the Home Show, which is a public activity, by including every weekend, drivers may not see the zone as a school zone but rather just a slower speed limit.?

    Councilors decided that the school zone will run from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday when school is in session.

    Councilors also removed North Fifth Avenue, from Cedar Street to Old Olympic Highway, from the school zone. It will become what planners call an arterial street, or main byway for north/south traffic.

    ?The schools were pinching two arterial streets, Fifth and Sequim, and sure, the school is adjacent to one so we should keep it like it is,? Spinks said. ?But we can free up some traffic on Fifth by removing the school zone from that street.?

    The residential streets in that area, like Alder, Spruce and Cedar, will remain at 25 mph with the exception of sections of Fir and Hendrickson that are still included in the school zone. Unless otherwise marked, all city streets are 25 mph.

    The changes will not be immediate, however. With council?s approval Public Works now can order new signage for the changes.

    ?The new limits won?t go into effect until the new signs are up,? Bullock said. ?There are criteria we must meet as well for limit revisions.?

    He said that there will be speed revision signs with caution markers like orange flags, much like what drivers currently see entering the Blyn area where the U.S. Highway 101 speed was lowered by 5 mph.

    ?Officers will go through a period of issuing warnings at first while still writing tickets when egregious infractions are made,? Spinks said.

    Other changes include placing a 15-mph speed limit on all alleyways and giving the city engineer the power to determine what construction zone speed limits will be on a project-to-project basis.

    Councilors also revised code to allow them to change speed limits with a resolution, rather than an ordinance. Spinks said the change isn?t anything big, but makes the process easier for the Council in the future.

City Council?s approved speed limit changes:

Decreases:
- East Washington Street from Brown Road to Sequim Avenue changes from 30 to 25 mph
- West Washington Street from Sequim Avenue to Ninth Avenue changes from 30 to 25
- Sequim Avenue from Deytona Street to Old Olympic Highway changes from 35 to 30 mph
- East Washington Street from Rhodefer Road to Brown Road changes from 35 to 30 mph
- River Road from West Washington Street to the south city limits changes from 35 to 30 mph
- Old Olympic Highway in the city changes from 35 to 30 mph to match county?s limit
Increases:
- North and South Blake Avenue changes from 20 to 25 mph
- South Third Avenue from Brownfield Road to the south city limits changes from 25 to 30 mph
- South Sequim Avenue from Brownfield Road to Reservoir Road changes from 25 to 30 mph
- Miller Road from east city limits to South Sequim Avenue changes from 25 to 30 mph
- North Brown Road from Washington Street to East Hendrickson Road changes from 25 to 30 mph
- Sequim Avenue from Old Olympic Highway to the north city limits changes from 25 to 30 mph
- East Washington Street from Simdars Road to Rhodefer Road changes from 35 to 40 mph