The proposed legislation would give cities the ability to reduce neighborhood speed limits without having to produce expensive traffic studies.
A set of bills making their way through the Texas state legislature could make it easier for local governments to lower speed limits on residential streets to 20 miles per hour, according to an article by Noor Adatia in The Dallas Morning News.
Current Texas state law lets cities reduce speed limits in residential areas to 25 miles per hour, but only after engaging in costly and time-consuming traffic studies. Senate Bill 1663 and its companion bill in the state House would let cities bypass these requirements.
Road safety advocates point out that lower speed limits reduce the risk of serious injuries and deaths in crashes. “Higher speeds on the road increase the risk of pedestrian death, according to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. At 23 mph, the risk of death is 10% and jumps to 25% at 35 mph, the study found.”
Read the full story: Bill targets lower speed limits in Texas neighborhoods
Virginia Set to Pass Bill Lowering Minimum Speed Limit
The Virginia General Assembly has passed a bill that would allow localities to set speed limits as low as 15 miles per hour.
Rome is Latest European Capital to Drop Speed Limit to 30KPH
Traffic fatalities in Bologna, the first major Italian city to lower their speed limit, dropped by 50 percent in the first year.
Philly Speed Camera Program Cuts Fatalities in Half
Excessive speeding along dangerous segments of Roosevelt Boulevard dropped by 90 percent after the city installed automated enforcement cameras.
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.
California city breaks ground on transit connector
The project includes three mobility hubs and a pedestrian bridge.
After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker
Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.
40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park
The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.
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.
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