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Residents urge lower speed limit, council asks staff to request ODOT speed study
Summary
At a Coos Bay City Council meeting, residents urged lowering the posted speed on the Highway 101 arterial through the city to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety; council asked staff to gather information and explore a speed study request to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).
Mike Parra, a Main Street Coos Bay representative, told the Coos Bay City Council that a one-mile section of Highway 101 inside city limits has a 45 mph posted speed that he considers unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists. “I think it should be 30 miles an hour,” Parra said during public comment, citing seven intersections, two traffic signals and a string of business driveways along the segment.
Parra described a painted bike lane that “just appears and then disappears” across about 2,500 feet and said sidewalks on the same stretch vary in condition. He listed businesses with driveways onto 101, including Planet Fitness, Ace Hardware, Toyota and several motels, and said the current speed “is detrimental for creating improved pedestrian and bike infrastructure routes.”
During council discussion, a staff member said, “We could always request a speed study from ODOT,” and Mayor Joe Benedetti and several councilors agreed finding information was the appropriate next step. Councilor Carmen (first name not specified in transcript) added that while goods movement is important, “we need to move people through our city safely” and supported getting more information.
Council did not adopt any change to the speed limit at the meeting. The council directed staff to collect information about options, including why ODOT did or did not require traffic signals at nearby intersections, and to report back. In the meeting, Mayor Benedetti noted North Bend had a different posted speed where the two cities meet and asked staff to investigate how that change had been achieved.
Background: Speakers repeatedly noted that ODOT controls posted speeds on Highway 101 through Coos Bay; the council’s action at the meeting was limited to requesting information and, if appropriate, pursuing a formal speed study request from ODOT. No ordinance, resolution or speed-limit change was proposed or adopted during the session.
