LADOT Proposes Speed Limit Increases and Decreases

The city of Los Angeles is getting the approval process underway for a series of changes to speed limits. LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds has led a push for L.A. to update them in order for LAPD to issue speeding tickets. The changes are on the agenda for the city’s Board of Transportation Commissioners meeting tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. at City Hall. If approved there, they are expected to go to the city council Transportation Committee on October 25.

L.A. is required to periodically update speeds due to California’s “speed trap” law, which prevents cities from setting “arbitrarily low” speed limits. Municipalities must conduct speed studies and then set speed limits based on how fast most drivers are already going. Combined with traffic engineering standards that have long favored auto speeds, the law fosters a vicious cycle favoring faster and faster speeds.

In the past, LADOT’s proposed speed limit increases have been a subject of controversy, with many livable streets activists urging city electeds to reject increases. Overall the latest list of changes appears fairly measured. LADOT has proposed 94 miles of speed limit increases and 52 miles of speed limit decreases.

LADOT spokesperson Oliver Hou emphasizes that, by updating outdated speed studies, the department has already increased the total number of enforceable streets from 19 percent in early 2016 to 53 percent citywide now, with 70 percent of streets on the Vision Zero High Injury Network (HIN) now enforceable, up from 20 percent in early 2016. Hou reports that LAPD, which received a $1.5 million budget allocation for dedicated Vision Zero enforcement efforts, has already stepped up speed enforcement on High Injury Network streets.

Proposed speed limit increases – total 94.32 miles:

Balboa Bl between Rinaldi St and Victory Blvd, 6.4 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Broadway between Manchester Av and City Limit s/o 120th St, 2.54 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Burbank Bl between CL at Clybourn Av and San Diego Fwy, 6.2 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Central Av between Florence Av and City Limit s/o 120th St, 3.6 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Chandler Bl between Lankershim Bl and Coldwater Cyn Av, 2.1 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Foothill Bl between Lowell Av and Sunland Blvd, 3.7 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Glenoaks Bl between Osborne St and Hollywood Wy, 4.7 miles – 45mph to 50mph

Hubbard St between Foothill Bl and Laurel Cyn Bl, 2.15 miles – 35mph to 40mph

La Tijera Bl between La Cienega Bl and 74th St, 0.77 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Olympic Bl between Century Park East and Centinela Av, 3.28 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Osborne St between Foothill Bl and San Fernando Rd, 1.7 miles – 40mph to 45mph

Osborne St between San Fernando Rd and Woodman Av, 2.2 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Overland Av between Pico Bl and Palms Bl, 1.4 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Overland Av between Palms Bl and Washington Bl, 0.8 miles – 30mph to 35mph

Oxnard St between Clybourn St and Sepulveda Bl, 5.8 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Rodeo Rd between Exposition Bl and La Brea Av, 2.46 miles – 35mph to 40mph

San Fernando Rd (SW Roadway) between Fox St and Clybourn Av, 6 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Sawtelle Bl between Pico Bl and Palms Bl, 1.2 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Sepulveda Bl between Plummer St and Valley Vista Bl, 6.5 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Sherman Way between Shoup Av and Platt Av 1.5 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Vanowen St between Haskell Av and Valley Circle Bl, 10.4 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Venice Bl between Cadillac Av and Crenshaw Bl, 2.8 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Victory Bl between CL e/o Clybourn Av and San Diego Fwy, 6.6 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Vineland Av between Stagg St and Chandler Blvd, 3 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Whitsett Av between Roscoe Bl and Riverside Dr, 4.4 miles – 35mph to 40mph

Zelzah Av between Chatsworth St and Nordhoff St, 2 miles – 40mph to 45mph

Proposed speed limit decreases – total 52.63 miles:

7th St between Vermont Av and Catalina St, 0.2 miles – 30mph to 25mph

8.2 8th St between Irolo St and Lucerne Bl, 1.4 miles – 35mph to 30mph

16.2 54th St between Western Av and Crenshaw, Bl 1.2 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Alexandria Av between Santa Monica Bl and Melrose Av, 0.5 miles – 30mph to 25mph

Alla Rd between CL s/o Washington Bl and Maxella Av, 0.43 miles – 30mph to 25mph

Alma St between 27th St and 37th St, 0.5 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Avalon Bl between Manchester Av and Imperial Hwy, 2 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Avenue 26 between Pasadena Av and San Fernando Rd, 0.9 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Avenue 36 between Eagle Rock Bl and Fletcher Dr, 0.1 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Colden Av between Clovis Av and Vermont Av, 2 miles – 30mph to 20mph

Coliseum St between Rodeo Rd and Hauser Bl, 2.4 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Commonwealth Av between Beverly Bl and Wilshire Bl, 0.8 miles – 30mph to 25mph

Coronado St between Sunset Bl and Temple St, 0.6 miles – 30mph to 25mph

Crescent Av between Beacon St and 21st St, 0.38 miles – 30mph to 20mph

Del Moreno Dr between Ventura Bl and Wells Dr, 0.8 miles – 30mph to 25mph

Dodson Av between 9th St and Western Av, 0.56 miles – 30mph to 25mph

Electra Dr between Mt Olympus Dr and Hercules Dr, 0.3 miles – 30mph to 25mph

Fletcher Dr between Avenue 36 and San Fernando Dr, 0.7 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Foothill Bl between Clybourn Av and Van Nuys Bl, 1.9 miles – 45mph to 40mph

Glenoaks Bl between Van Nuys Bl and Osborne St, 0.83 miles – 40mph to 35mph

Hauser Bl between Washington Bl and Jefferson Bl, 0.9 miles – 30mph to 25mph

Hercules Dr between Apollo Dr and Electra Dr, 0.43 miles – 30mph to 25mph

Hillhurst Av between Los Feliz Bl and Hollywood Bl, 0.9 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Hollywood Bl between La Brea Av and Laurel Canyon Bl, 1.2 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Hoover St between Manchester Av and El Segundo Bl, 3 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Huston St between Hazeltine Av and Cedros Av, 0.75 miles – 30mph to 25mph

La Brea Av between CL at Romaine St and Olympic Bl, 2.2 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Motor Av between Manning Av and CL s/o Venice Bl, 1.2 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Neptune Av between Lomita Bl and C St, 1.83 miles – 30mph to 25mph

Osborne St between Foothill Bl and CL n/o Garrick Av, 0.6 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Parthenia St between Lindley Av and Tampa Av, 1.5 miles – 40mph to 35mph

Reseda Bl between Sesnon Bl and Rinaldi St, 1.6 miles – 50mph to 45mph

Sawtelle Bl between Olympic Bl and Pico Bl, 0.3 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Sunset Bl between Virgil Av and Crescent Heights Bl, 4.5 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Thurman Av between Venice Bl and Washington Bl, 0.5 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Townsend Av between Hill Dr and Colorado Bl, 0.35 miles – 30mph to 25mph

Vermont Av between Hollywood Bl and Clinton St, 1.3 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Vermont Av between Clinton St and Oakwood Av, 0.3 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Vermont Av between Oakwood Av and Beverly Bl, 0.1 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Vermont Av between Beverly Bl and Olympic Bl, 1.6 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Vernon Av between Alameda St and CL w/o Crenshaw Bl, 5.2 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Via Dolce between Washington Bl and CL w/o Marquesas Wy, 0.4 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Vineland Av between San Fernando Rd and Lorne St, 0.16 miles – 30mph to 25mph

Woodley Av between Magnolia Bl and Ventura Bl, 0.59 miles – 30mph to 25mph

York Bl between CL e/o San Pascual Av and Eagle Rock Bl, 2.72 miles – 35mph to 30mph

Establish speed limit (per LADOT, these were part of longer segments, and now, because of roadway design changes or other justification, LADOT is splitting them out) – total 9.35 miles: