Los Angeles To Reduce Speed Limits on 177 Miles of Streets

As Joe Linton reports in Streetsblog LA, the city of Los Angeles has selected 177 miles of streets to receive speed limit reductions, a move praised by safety advocates. "[Mayor Eric] Garcetti acknowledged that this round of speed limit reductions were the result of the hard work of livability advocates, the city’s Transportation Department (LADOT), City Councilmembers Mike Bonin and Paul Koretz, as well as State Assemblymember Laura Friedman," who championed a state bill that allows cities to implement speed limit reductions. "Friedman’s A.B. 43 carved out several important exceptions to that rule, making it legal for cities to now consider safety concerns when setting speed limits – as well as allowing municipalities to roll back some recent speed limit increases."

Once A.B. 43 was passed, the city reviewed streets where speed reductions could be implemented. "Those decreases were approved by the City Council Transportation Committee and by the full City Council in February."

The new speed limits will take effect by June, per LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds.

High speed limits are often criticized for creating dangerous conditions, with many advocates calling for speeds of 20mph or lower on urban streets.