Data show 25 mph move is reducing speeds in many streets; council presses for targeted calming and enforcement

Traffic staff presented a monitoring report the council said shows the citywide 25 mph policy has reduced vehicle speeds in many locations, and councilors discussed targeted enforcement and permanent calming measures for persistent problem streets ahead of the school year. The council’s traffic engineer, Liz Altman, presented data showing speed reductions after the city took steps to implement a 25 mph default limit in residential corridors. Administration members said the monitoring effort used anonymized Bluetooth data to estimate vehicle speeds and volumes and that the initiative, combined with targeted enforcement, produced measurable dips in speeds for many locations. “It's showing that it is working in certain areas,” the city manager said, commending the traffic team and local police for enforcement in problem spots. Councilors urged the city to concentrate permanent traffic-calming measures — such as speed humps and striping — on the neighborhood cut-throughs that continue to show high speeds, rather than relying solely on temporary units. Ms. Altman said permanent measures are “self‑enforcing” and explained that not every street is a candidate for speed humps, so each location needs an engineering review. Councilors also requested that the police department prioritize targeted enforcement in the weeks before school begins and that staff prepare a mapped list of streets with temporary versus permanent calming installations; the traffic engineer said a city webpage lists neighborhood traffic work and that data collected are accessible for planning. One councilor noted recent radar enforcement on Stevens Street produced visible changes in behavior. The council directed staff to continue the data collection, coordinate targeted enforcement with the police department, and prioritize streets for more permanent infrastructure during repaving and striping work.