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What Does that Mean for Your City? <br />Prior to the change, the statutory speed limit in urban districts was 30 mph unless otherwise posted. <br />A city also had the option to reduce a limit to 25 mph provided that the change was adopted by the local <br />road authority and the roadway was properly signed. The revised statute maintains these limits and does not <br />require any action by a community. The change simply affords communities the opportunity to change speed <br />limits on roads under their jurisdiction. This authority is granted only to city streets and does not apply to <br />town roads, county highways, or trunk highways located in the city. <br />Effectiveness of a Speed Limit Change <br />Nationally, FHWA has examined over 100 sites in 22 states and found no change in vehicle speeds due to <br />a change in the speed limit. Similar studies' conducted by various cities in the US and Canada as well as <br />studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have also found that changing the speed limit alone <br />had no effect on driver behavior. <br />Some studies do however report the successful reduction of <br />speeds when the speed limit change accompanies other mitigation <br />strategies. For example, the city of Seattle examined 5 corridors' <br />and reported a small reduction in both the 50th and 85th percentile <br />speeds when the frequency of speed limit signs was increase from <br />every 1-1.5 miles to one every % mile. <br />Another study conducted on local streets in Woodbury, MN <br />(Statutory limit 30mph) and River Falls, WI (Statutory 25 mph limit <br />found similar 85th percentile speeds at these locations despite the <br />difference in statutory limit. However, it did identify that the <br />roadway width does affect travel speeds. <br />IN 50%OF PEDESTRIAN <br />AND BICYCLE CRASHES <br />NO PARTICULAR ACTION <br />BY DRIVERS COULD <br />BE IDENTIFIED THAT <br />CONTRIBUTED TO <br />THE CRASH. <br />Based on all available data, effectively lowering vehicle speeds requires a combination of physical, <br />operational, and regulatory measures to be successful. Changing driver behavior and reducing speeds will <br />require added enforcement and changes to the road environment to adjust driver perception. <br />Effects of Raising and Lowering Speed Limits on Selected Roadway Sections, FHWA,1997 <br />Speed Limit Case Studies, SDOT, 2020 <br />Page 138 of 185 <br />