Des Moines staff propose citywide speed-management study, offer two school-zone options

City Traffic Engineer John Davis told the Des Moines City Council at its June 30 work session that staff recommend a citywide speed-management study and presented two implementation options for school-zone speed limits and infrastructure.

The study recommendation would be funded through the city’s Capital Improvement Program and would be procured via a request for proposals to be issued this fall; staff said plan development would run from fall through the following summer with a council presentation planned next fall. “Automated traffic enforcement is likely will be needed and remains a viable option,” Davis said, noting that “new applications for specific locations will not reopen until July 2026.”

Why it matters: council members framed the item as part of the city’s Vision 0 DSM goal to reduce fatalities and severe injuries, and emphasized schools as the top priority. Reducing posted school-zone speeds and adding visual speed feedback are the core near-term tools under discussion; elected officials asked for cost comparisons, enforcement data and options to scale…