Item Number: 2
City Council / Board of Directors
Public Hearing(s)
Meeting of: February 20, 2024
Submitted By:
Fredy Bonilla, City Engineer
Subject:
Proposed Ordinance No. 2446 Revising and Establishing Speed Zones Upon Certain Streets in the City by amending Victorville Municipal Code Section 12.20.020 Recommendation:
That Honorable City Council:
1) Open and conduct a public hearing to receive comments regarding Ordinance No. 2446 and the Municipal Code Amendment therein;
2) Close the public hearing;
3) Find the Municipal Code Amendment exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2), 15060(c)(3), and/or 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines; 4) Introduce Ordinance No. 2446 for adoption and first reading by title only; and 5) Waive further public reading in full of proposed Ordinance No. 2446.
Fiscal Impact:
There will be no fiscal impact resulting from the recommended action.
Strategic Plan Goal:
This item aligns with “Goal B - Public Safety” in the City of Victorville Strategic Plan 2023- 2026. Establishing speed limits aims to enhance public safety that supports a thriving and growing community.
Background:
In order for posted speed limits to be enforceable, California law requires that the speed zones be established with an Engineering and Traffic Survey in accordance with Section 2B.13 of the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and the California Vehicle Code (CVC), including Section 627. A speed zone is a segment of street which has been included in an engineering and traffic survey for the purpose of establishing speed limits.
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Usually, each speed zone must be re-evaluated not more than every five years to determine the correctness of the existing speed limits. The procedure for establishing the speed limit for a particular speed zone involves measuring from a stationary location the actual speed of (typically 100) motor vehicles in free flowing traffic. Free flowing traffic is not influenced by congestion or slow moving vehicles. From this data, the 85th percentile speed is determined. The 85th percentile speed is defined as the speed at or below which 85 percent of all the observed vehicles travel. For a sample of 100 vehicles, the 85th percentile speed is the speed of the 16th fastest vehicle.
The MUTCD stipulates that the local authority (in this case the City) round speed limits to the nearest five miles per hour (mph) increment to the 85th percentile speed. The posted speed limit may be reduced by five mph from the rounded speed limit if there is sufficient justification documented by a registered civil or traffic engineer. However, reductions to the speed limit greater than 5 mph below the rounded speed limit may not be applied.
The term “prima facie” as used in the California Vehicle Code, is a speed limit that applies when no other specific speed limit is posted and is basically a default speed limit. A 25 mph prima facie speed limit can be applicable to business and residential areas without other posted speed limits, and school zones (while children are going to or leaving school) and when passing a senior center per CVC 22352.
The maximum speed limit is 65 mph (unless 70 mph is designated on certain State highways) and the maximum speed limit is 55 mph for a two-lane, undivided highway (not more than one through lane of travel in each direction) per CVC 22349. The 65 mph and 55 mph speed limits described above are prima facie speed limits. These prima facie speed limits can be decreased.
Whenever a local authority determines upon the basis of an engineering and traffic survey that the limit of 65 miles per hour is more than is reasonable or safe upon any portion of any street other than a state highway where the limit of 65 miles per hour is applicable, the local authority may by ordinance determine and declare a prima facie speed limit of 60, 55, 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 25, 20, or 15 miles per hour, per CVC 22358 (a). CVC Sections 22357 and 22358 require that speed limits be determined by an ordinance.
Discussion:
Engineering staff has prepared the required engineering and traffic surveys for several City streets which were scheduled to be re-evaluated. The reported traffic collisions for the various street segments studied were evaluated and taken into consideration for the recommended speed limits. The attached ordinance reflects the recommended speed limits. In the table within the ordinance, the speed limits are listed in the column with the heading “Declared Prima Facie Speed Limits”.
Based on the engineering and traffic surveys prepared, the posted speed limits are recommended to be increased for several streets. For all the streets listed below, the speed limits reflect a recommended increase by 5 mph:
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Arrowhead Dr. (Nisqualli Rd. to Talpa St.) 55 mph
Arrowhead Dr. (Talpa St. to Green Tree Blvd.) 45 mph
Dos Palmas Rd. (Cobalt Rd. to Amethyst Rd.) 50 mph
Eagle Ranch Pkwy. (Honeybear Ln. to Mesa Linda Ave.) 40 mph Petaluma Rd. (Mall Blvd. to Northstar Ave.) 40 mph
Spring Valley Pkwy. (Bear Valley Rd. to Pahute Rd.) 45 mph The new speed limits are recommended for the following speed zones:
Green Tree Blvd. (Hesperia Rd. to Ridgecrest Rd.) 50 mph All other posted speed limits in the City will remain unchanged.
The adoption of the proposed speed limit amendments set forth in the ordinance are exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15060(c)(2), 15060(c)(3), and/or 15061(b)(3).
Said adoption is being made pursuant to the California Vehicle Code and supported by required engineering and traffic surveys, and therefore will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment; is not considered a “project” under CEQA Guidelines Section 15378; and/or can be seen with certainty to have no possibility of a significant impact on the environment.
Staff recommends that the City Council open and conduct a public hearing to receive comments regarding Ordinance No. 2446; close the public hearing; find the ordinance exempt from review under CEQA; introduce the ordinance for adoption and first reading by title only; and waive further public reading of the ordinance.
Staff remains available for any questions the City Council may have.
Attachments: A. Ordinance No. 2446