Following unanimous approval by the Santa Monica City Council last month, the city will lower speed limits on more than 30 miles of its streets.
A speed survey conducted from Jan. 27 through Jul. 29 earlier this year found that adopting the proposed speed limit changes would positively impact the city's Vision Zero goal of ''eliminating fatal and severe injury crashes for all roadway users.''
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The city council embraced the Vision Zero initiative in February 2016, stating that unsafe speeds are the second most common infraction resulting in fatal and severe crashes in the city.
Some residents tell KNX News' Nataly Tavidian that they do not think it will make a big difference.
"It's not going to make a difference if they lessen it five MPH. It's like there's so much traffic in the city anyway. So just keep it how it is," one naysayer said.
Others say they get why the city approved the change, "I think around this area, there's a lot of families here with small kids, and with the school right up the block here, I think it's for that. It's perfectly fine," one man said. However, he believes that in areas away from schools, "We should be able to get somewhere faster."
While most of the suggested speed limit changes were to decrease, the study did advise one increase: the speed limit on a 0.3-mile segment of California Avenue will go up from 25 to 30 miles per hour.
The stretches of road to see limits decrease are:
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
Department of Transportation Director Anuj Gupta said, "Reducing vehicle speeds on our roads is vital to create safer conditions for getting around in our city. 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 city said the oridinance will take effect 30 days after it’s second reading, set for Tuesday night, and it will begin rolling out new signage indicating the updated speed limits in the fall.
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