Recently the Lakeport City Council held a public hearing prior to considering recommended speed zone changes on various streets in the city. But a recommended 5 mile per hour increase for one street not only caused an outcry, but also drew a warning of strict enforcement from Lakeport police.
During the process of reviewing the speed zone survey for Twentieth St., it was observed that drivers routinely exceeded the posted 25 mph speed limit by a considerable margin. Indeed, 85 percent of vehicles traveling through the area clocked an average of 36 mph.
The traffic engineer analyzing data from the survey evaluated other factors such as number of reported accidents, roadway size and condition and type of area — business or residential, for instance. He recommended the city increase limits on that stretch of Twentieth St. to 30 mph.
But the decision did not go over well.
“At the November 1st public hearing held by the City Council, it was clear that many residents in the area were very concerned about the speed limit being reset from 25 to 30 mph, as they reported having issues with vehicles traveling too fast in the area,” reported Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen in a press statement.
Another factor forced council members to accept the recommended increase.
Speed zone determinations are a highly regulated process, governed under the California Vehicle Code. This provides very limited discretion to the traffic engineer in making a recommendation where the speed limit should be set. Due to state restrictions, the engineer only had the discretion to recommend a speed limit within 6 mph of the 85th percentile speed of 36 mph.
State law further requires that if a jurisdiction wants to enforce speed limits by use of electronic device, such as radar — according to Rasmussen “the only practical and effective way for police to enforce speed in the City of Lakeport” — it must conduct speed zone surveys every five years and set the limits based on the results of the survey.
After hearing all testimony, the City Council was faced with a decision of keeping the existing 25 mph signage but forfeiting the ability of enforcing speeding violations or raising the speed limit to 30.
“Although the City Council and staff were not comfortable with the 30 mph speed limit, it was accepted so that enforcement can continue,” Rasmussen observed.
This week the police department announced it will begin working with other City departments including Community Development, Engineering, Public Works and with the neighborhood to develop an enforcement and education plan to reduce the 85th percentile speed of 36 mph down to 30 mph or below over the next several months and allow for a new speed zone study for this segment of roadway. City departments will also be looking at traffic calming measures which could be used in the area.
“We believe that if everyone works together we can be successful in getting survey results that will lower the enforceable speed limit back down to 25 mph,” Rasmussen said in the statement.
The first stage of the educational campaign is relatively familiar, Rasmussen pointed out.
“Residents of the area and all other citizens driving in the area should consider this fair warning that starting around December 1, 2016, Lakeport Police Officers will be aggressively enforcing all speeding violations,” he said. “Exceeding 30 mph by any number will be strictly enforced.”
