From: David Seltzer
Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2025 4:51 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]>; Maika Llorens Gulati <[email protected]>; Eli Hill <[email protected]>; Mayor Kate <[email protected]>; Rachel Kertz <[email protected]>; Maribeth Bushey <[email protected]>
Subject: Public Comment on City Council Meeting - 2/18/2024 - Speed Limits Dear Mayor Kate and Members of the City Council,
I wanted to write in my support for lowering speed limits in DownTown San Rafael to 20mph. I think this is a really wise course and will help make downtown a safer place for people to walk and bike. DownTown should feel like a destination, and for it to feel that way it needs to be a comfortable place to inhabit and lower speed limits will help with that.
Also, just anecdotal, but I wanted to make the statement that changing the speed limits will likely have zero or very little impact on trip times despite what one might think. I ride my bike along 4th Street frequently and often find myself riding behind the same car or group of cars for the entire length of the street. As a cyclist I can't go any faster than 20mph and usually am going slower, however with stop lights and stop signs it means that cars might accelerate up to 25 or 30mph, but it just means they get to the next stop light a bit sooner. However they still end up stopping and waiting at the signal anyway, at which point I catch up on my slower bike.
So just a little bit of feedback that if folks are worried about how trip times might change, I don't think they will. We'll all just be a little bit safer since folks will be topping out at a lower speed limit, but we'll also still get to places in basically the same amount of time. It's a win win! There are additional sections I'd also like to voice a desire to expand these reduced speeds to as well:
1. First Street: Lower speed limit to 20 MPH for the entire length of the street because the recommended Mission to 1st section omits the section near the Community Center, Parkside Children's Center and various school bus stops where there are lots of cyclist and pedestrians.
2. Segment 8: Andersen Drive from 35 to 30 mph, aligning it with Andersen Drive Segment 9 immediately to the west, in order to improve safety for the high volume of bicyclists on the road.
3. Fifth Street: Near Sun Valley School, such as from California Avenue to the terminus, due to the school.
Thank you for your time and reading my letter! Once again appreciate your efforts in making San Rafael a safer place to walk and ride, and encourage continued efforts to keep making it better!
-David Seltzer