Title
Canemah Neighborhood 20 mph Pilot Project
Body
RECOMMENDED ACTION (Motion):
Review and provide direction on a 20 mph Pilot Project.
BACKGROUND:
In July 2018, staff brought before the City Commission a Draft 20 mph Speed Limit Policy. At that time, City Commission shared concerns related to the policy which included the following: preference for neighborhoods to request the program, assurance that adequate community outreach is accomplished before implementation of such a program, confirmation that the program actually improves safety, and identification of how we evaluate the program’s success if implemented.
Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) 810.180 allows a road authority the ability to establish by ordinance a designated speed for a roadway that is five miles per hour lower than the statutory speed. The area must meet all the following qualifications:
· Roadway must be located in a Residential Zone;
· Vehicle speeds of less than 30 mph, measured as 85th percentile speed;
· Average volume of traffic on roadway must be fewer than 2,000 vehicles per day.
Under this statute, the City would be allowed to lower the posted speed limit of roadways meeting these criteria through the adoption of an ordinance. Staff additionally recommends that the roadways considered for the 20 mph are Family Friendly Routes, as identified in the Transportation System Plan (TSP). The 2013 TSP identified 33 Family Friendly routes to fill gaps between shared-use paths, parks, and schools, offering a network of low-volume streets for more comfortable biking and walking throughout the City. The concept behind a Family Friendly Route is to provide low-speed, low-traffic streets where pedestrians and bicyclists are prioritized over cut-through automotive traffic. In June 2018, staff shared the proposed policy with the Transportation Advisory Committee, and they made a motion to recommend that staff move forward with the implementation of the three corridors proposed by staff.
At this ...
Click here for full text