LAKEPORT >> The Lakeport City Council introduced a new ordinance at its regular meeting Tuesday to change speed limits on five streets.
The recommended adjustments are based on an engineering and traffic study performed by the city and Phil Dow back in June. It is something required by state law every five years to justify practicality and safety for the area’s speed limits.
“What they [the state] don’t want is cities making speed traps,” Councilwoman Mireya Turner said, adding that the city studied the flow of traffic on the roads to determine the recommendations.
Modifications would occur on segments of Bevins, Hartley, Martin and 20th streets, as well as on Parallel Drive. Each location allowed slightly higher critical speeds — the 85th percentile of all speeds studied — than the last study, which was completed in 2011.
The largest increase was found on Bevins Street from Lakeport Boulevard to Bevins Court, revealing a bump by a total of 4 miles per hour. With the critical speed now at 39 mph, a speed of limit of 40 mph would be warranted. Due the street’s steep slopes, however, the recommendation was set at 35 mph.
“Although the vertical curves on Bevins are readily apparent to the reasonable and prudent driver, obscured driveways and the crest-top junction of Bevins Court are not readily apparent, even at moderate speeds,” the site analysis reported. The report also recommended that the on-street parking adjacent to O’Meara Brothers brewery be removed.
One of the most significant changes involved Parallel Drive — from the old city limits to Lakeport Boulevard. The stretch, with a current speed limit of 35 mph, was found to have a critical speed of 50 mph.
Just like Bevins Street, there were other factors preventing a recommendation based on critical speed. In this case, it was the uphill curve that leads up to the roundabout.
But unlike the small Lakeport Road, the speed zone in that area was removed. Noting the lack of a warning for the roundabout, Dow advised that the 35 mph sign south of the curve be replaced with a roundabout warning. For those travelling south from the roundabout, a 35 mph curve advisory would be placed right before it if the legislation is approved.
“It is practice to warn of traffic control devices if they are obscured or otherwise hidden from view by approaching drivers,” the document read, adding that travel speeds should be monitored for a year and revisited.
Finally, the other three speed changes were minor: Hartley Street from Hillcrest to the northern city limits would be 25 mph while Alden Avenue to Hartley on 20th Street is proposed for 30 mph. On Martin Street, there would be two changes — 40 mph from Bevins Street to the western city boundary and 30 mph between Smith and Main streets.
The first reading of the ordinance was passed unanimously, 5-0.
Turner noted that a “considerable” amount of public input was focused on the intersection Lakeshore Boulevard and Lange Street, which is near the elementary school. Dow, she added, will be doing a special study on it in the near future.
