City explores lower speed limits: San Carlos City Council to consider reduction in speed limits on Holly Street, Old County Road

Walter proposes to lower the speed limit on segments of Holly Street between Old County Road and Industrial Road from 30 mph to 25 mph.

He also proposes to lower the speed limit on Old County Road between Hall Street and Belmont city limits from 35 mph to 30 mph.

Speed limits are set through an engineering and traffic survey which measure the actual speeds that drivers travel on a given street. The city conducted the speed study based on significant changes made to Holly Street and Old County Road in recent years.

The study determined that 85 percent of drivers travel at a speed of 35.8 mph on Old County Road between Hall Street and the city limits. It also shows that 85 percent of drivers travel at a speed of 31.8 mph on Holly Street between El Camino Real and Industrial Road, according to Walter’s report.

The city surveyed five segments of Old County Road and Holly Street and Walter proposes to lower the speed limit on two of the segments.

“The reason for the speed limit change is because on both streets, conditions have changed from the time the previous speed survey was done. On Old County Road, the road used to be wider, without the bulbouts and sidewalk improvements, so traffic typically moved faster, and the speed was set at 35 mph,” Walter wrote in an email to the Daily Journal. “Now the road is narrower, with more pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and so we took new speed data and it showed us that traffic is moving more slowly, so a reduction in the speed limit was appropriate.”

The same is true for Holly Street, according to Walter.

“It used to be one lane of traffic in each direction most of the time, so traffic moved faster and the speed limit was set at 30 mph. Now that two lanes are in place most of the day and the lanes are very narrow, cars are traveling more slowly,” Walter wrote.

There is a safety component to a lower speed as well, he wrote.

Vice Mayor Bob Grassilli said the proposal seems “reasonable” but wants to hear from staff, law enforcement and the public before making a decision.

“How to enforce it will be a big question,” he said.

In October 2014, the council approved parking restrictions and striping changes on Holly Street between Industrial and Old County roads that lowered the 85th percentile speed along the corridor from 34 mph to 32 mph. The council also approved large truck restrictions and electronic message signs to make the corridor safer.

Members of the Greater East San Carlos neighborhood, however, opposed the city’s move to restripe Holly Street into four lanes of traffic during the day.

The group said the extra traffic on the thoroughfare to Highway 101 made it a hazard for pedestrians to cross the street. They also argued motorists were traveling at greater speeds after restriping, although a city survey disputed that claim.

bill@smdailyjournal.com

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