A report on how to implement Vision Zero traffic safety improvements in the city of Minneapolis included an ambitious menu of options, including lower speed limits citywide.
Miguel Otárola reports from Minneapolis, where the city is considering lowering speed limits "on most, if not all, city-owned streets" as a traffic safety measure included in the city's ongoing Vision Zero initiative.
"The speed limit on most city streets is 30 miles per hour. City officials leading the safety-improvement work said they are still unsure where they will lower speed limits and by how much. They will conduct a 'technical analysis' in order to make sure the changes are 'defensible,' said Steve Mosing, traffic operations engineer for the city."
The state of Minnesota recently relaxed its laws to allow the city the ability to lower speed limits.
As noted by Otárola, transportation officials working on Vision Zero for the city also recommended increasing the number of street design improvements aimed toward improving safety outcomes, in addition to deploying traffic cameras and reforming the city’s traffic-enforcement unit.
Read the full story: Minneapolis considers lower speed limits citywide
Speed Limit Reform Spreading Across Minnesota
After the Twin Cities lowered speed limits in the urban core of the region in 2020, a trio of suburban cities are planning to follow. Two of the cities are planning to set some speed limits as low as 20 mph.
'20 Is Plenty' in the Twin Cities
The first 20 mile per hour speed limit signs have been installed this week in the Twin Cities.
Twin Cities to Lower Speed Limits
Minneapolis and St. Paul are teaming up, with new authority granted by the State legislature, to lower speed limits in both cities.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority