The Springfield City Council is considering lowering the speed limit in residential areas across the city. Traffic coordinators say that results from a year-long experiment prove that the plan will make streets safer. KSMU's Megan Keathley reports. The Springfield City Council is considering lowering the speed limit in residential areas across the city. Traffic coordinators say that results from a year-long experiment prove that the plan will make streets safer.
The pilot project took place in the Rountree neighborhood, where the city lowered the speed limit from 30 to 25 miles per hour. City traffic engineer Earl Newman says that the experiment worked.
The City is now gathering public opinion on whether the new lower speed limit should be applied to more neighborhoods, and to how many. Newman says the lower speed limit will send a message to drivers.
Funding for regular replacement of street signs has been set aside, so Springfield citizens would see no additional cost for the new speed limit markers. Area residents can go online to submit their opinions and view a map of areas where the speed limit might go down. The city is also taking calls and written comments at the Traffic Engineering branch. The Springfield City Council will hear the 25 Mile-Per-Hour Speed Limit proposal at its February 11th meeting.
We have links to the map and the site where you can submit your comments on our website at KSMU-dot-org. For KSMU News, I'm Megan Keathley.
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