Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Traffic Speed Limit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Okanogan County lowers speed limit near Twin Lakes School to 35 mph after speed study
Summary
Following a public hearing and a county speed study that found an 80th‑percentile speed of 41 mph, the Okanogan County commissioners adopted Ordinance 2025‑3 lowering the speed limit on OCR 9120 (Twin Lakes Road) from milepost 0.00 to 0.32 to 35 mph, citing school safety and local conditions.
The Okanogan County Board of Commissioners voted to adopt Ordinance 2025‑3, reducing the speed limit on OCR 9120 Twin Lakes Road from milepost 0.00 to 0.32 to 35 miles per hour.
Joanne Stansbury, Public Works, presented the results of a September speed study. “We did collect the speed study last September from the twelfth to the nineteenth, and it showed an average speed of 41 miles per hour and an 80 percentile. I have that backwards. Sorry. That's 80 percentile of 41 and the average speed of 32 miles per hour,” Stansbury said during the hearing.
County Engineer Josh Thompson said speeds drop during school days but rise on weekends; he noted the legal posted speed was 50 mph at the location before the change. “I think it is reasonable to reduce it to 35 miles an hour,” Thompson said, recommending the reduced limit to improve safety in the school corridor.
The hearing included an explanation that the existing 20 mph school‑zone signs (posted “when children are present”) are sited too far from the road crossing to be enforceable under the cited statute and therefore cannot fully mitigate the risk. Commissioners discussed and then moved to adopt the ordinance. Commissioner Tim made the motion to adopt Ordinance No. 2025‑3 as read; the board voted unanimously "Aye" and closed the hearing.
What changed: The ordinance sets a permanent 35 mph limit between milepost 0.00 and 0.32 along Twin Lakes Road; county staff said signs will be replaced immediately.
Ending: County staff said they will change the physical signs right away and will publish the ordinance as required. The county also noted it will use the auditor’s and sheriff’s data in future decisions about speed zones and enforcement.
