Everett council adopts lower speed limits on Sixteenth Street and portions of Holly Drive

Everett City Council voted Aug. 27 to revise posted speed limits on portions of Sixteenth Street and Holly Drive after hearing public concerns about speeding and a staff briefing explaining a new, data-driven policy.

The council adopted a resolution to set the new posted limits by roll call vote. The resolution covers Sixteenth Street and sections of Holly Drive between Airport Road, 100th Street Southwest and Evergreen Way; the council action was unanimous.

The resolution follows a staff presentation by Corey Hirt, the city traffic engineer, who said the changes are part of Vision 0 Everett, the city's street-safety effort. Hirt told the council the new speed-limit policy uses roadway context and measured speeds and draws on recent research (including National Cooperative Highway Research Program guidance) to produce defensible speed recommendations. As examples, Hirt said the policy recommended 25 mph for both studied segments of Sixteenth Street and a mix of 30 mph and 25 mph sections on Holly Drive, with the middle segment (100th Street SW to Fourth Avenue West, by Challenger Elementary) recommended to be posted at 25 mph.

The changes respond in part to testimony from a resident, Jean Carrillo of Everett, who told the council that while Sixteenth Street is posted 30 mph many vehicles travel toward East Marine View Drive at speeds she estimated in the 40s and 50s. "The speeds there, many in our neighborhood have spoken about this before. The speeds are really not safe," Carrillo said. She urged better striping, visibility trimming at intersections and targeted enforcement.

Council members voiced support for the approach described by staff and for local enforcement and engineering remedies. "Just a friendly reminder to drive slow at all times, and especially near our schools," Council member Ryan said, noting the opening of the school year. Multiple council members referenced the need to pair lower posted speeds with engineering (striping, crossings) and enforcement.

Hirt told the council the city received $400,000 through the Safe Streets for All program to evaluate the remainder of the city's arterials and collectors. That work, he said, will evaluate roughly 77 additional street segments, consider 20-mph residential zones and identify candidate streets for the new 10-mph shared-street option recently authorized by state law.

Clerk roll calls recorded all council members present voting yes on the resolution. The council's action directs staff to publish the policy and to implement the amended posted speed limits and follow-up engineering and outreach steps described during the briefing.

The council also discussed related neighborhood remedies, including trimming foliage at sight-line-limited intersections and striping parking lanes on wide residential blocks to narrow travel lanes. Hirt said residents should file a Public Works service request (or use the city's SeeClickFix portal) for specific visibility and striping requests; the city will evaluate each location for appropriate countermeasures.

Implementation steps and further changes are expected to be brought back to the Transportation Advisory Committee and the council as the city completes the Safe Streets for All evaluation.