Signal HIll is increasing vehicle speed limits on 17 of its streets by five to 15 miles per hour, and lowering speed limits on two street segments, based on a new traffic study approved by the Signal Hill City Council on Tuesday, March 22.
The City surveyed traffic on 67 street segments throughout Signal Hill, as required every five years by the California Vehicle Code (CVC), with the help of traffic consultants W.G. Zimmerman Engineering.
The study revealed that on 17 street segments—or about a quarter of those surveyed—85% of vehicles were traveling at speeds higher than the current limit by five to 15 miles per hour. Per the CVC, those limits must now be changed to reflect the higher speeds.
According to Public Works Director Thomas Bekele, the City can only adjust surveyed speeds by up to five miles per hour up or down to establish the limit based on other factors like accident history, roadway conditions, residential density and the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists.
Only two segments surveyed showed vehicles traveling at lower speeds than allowed, by five miles per hour. The remaining 48 speeds of the street segments studied were about the same as the limit, which will therefore remain the same on those stretches.
Bekele told the council on Tuesday that the City does not have much leeway to maintain current speed limits if 85 of 100 vehicles traveling on a street segment are going faster than currently allowed, per the CVC.
“It’s the speed at which 85% of the vehicles travel at that specific segment, so it’s data driven,” Bekele said. “The subjectivity of it is fairly limited, even if there are other factors that play into rounding down or rounding up.”
Consultant Bill Zimmerman confirmed that State law requires municipalities to conform to the speed used by the 85th percentile of traffic analyzed.
“We’re kind of stuck with that,” Zimmerman said. “It’s part of the state code. It’s part of the federal code for funding for streets.”
Council expresses concern over 10 to 15 mile per hour speed limit increases
Though most of the upward speed-limit adjustments are by five miles per hour, two street segments will increase by more.
The southbound speed limit along Walnut Avenue between Hill Street and Alamitos Avenue is increasing from 30 to 40 miles per hour, and the speed limit on Temple Avenue between Hill and 21st streets is increasing by 15 miles per hour, from 25 to 40.
Though the council approved an ordinance increasing those speed limits, most members expressed concern, especially for raising the limit along the stretch of Temple Avenue by 15 miles per hour.
Councilmember Lori Woods wanted to know more about the accident history along that stretch, saying she heard traffic complaints and “close calls” reported from there.
“My experience is that it has a heavy pedestrian [traffic] on either side,” she added.
Zimmerman responded that 24 accidents were recorded along that street segment over the past five years—an average of less than five per year—and only one was related to speeding.
“There’s not a lot of accidents that would require us to take a hard look at reducing that speed,” he said.
Zimmerman also noted there were “few pedestrians” indicated in the traffic survey, which was taken in October 2021.
Bekele added that the average vehicle speed on that stretch of Temple Avenue is currently 42 miles per hour, per the survey, “so cars are already driving at a higher speed.”
“If we were to change speed limits outside of this study, it would not be enforceable,” Bekele noted. “[Also] it would partially limit us from getting federal funds.”
Woods also questioned whether the 10 mile per hour increase along Walnut Avenue south of Hill Street took into account the City’s planned new nine-acre warehouse development.
Zimmerman said it did not, but the City could conduct a survey in two years rather than wait for the next required study in five years and amend the current traffic study results accordingly.
Councilmember Edward Wilson asked why the study selected certain streets and whether the police could slow down traffic during the surveying.
Zimmerman responded that the streets studied are those registered with the State to receive federal funding and must maintain a constant flow of traffic. Any speed manipulation would invalidate the study.
The 19 total speed limit changes include four on Walnut Avenue, three on California Avenue and two each along Orange Avenue, Temple Avenue and Willow Street.
Traffic Engineer Jesus Saldana said one of the two speed limit reductions—from 45 to 40 miles per hour along Spring Street between Orange and Walnut avenues—does make that stretch consistent with the rest of Spring Street, but it was based on how 85% of traffic flowed.
“The controlling factor on all these changes […] was the 85th percentile,” he said.
