South Pasadena transportation staff presented the city's updated engineering and traffic survey (ENTS) on May 20, 2025, a mandated review of speed limits and roadway conditions that supports lawful posting and enforcement of speed limits.

"Engineering and traffic surveys are a survey of highway and traffic conditions in accordance with a method determined by the department of transportation," Bassam, the city's transportation program manager, told the commission while introducing the study and its methodology. Staff said the study followed state guidance, used radar speed runs, reviewed average daily traffic, and examined three years of collision history.

Consultants evaluated 58 roadway segments across 29 city streets. In most cases staff recommended retaining existing posted limits; the report noted three short segments where a clear 25‑mph posting was recommended to formalize previously informal expectations (for example, Olive Street between Orange Grove and Meridian was listed as a segment to formalize at 25 mph). In presentation slides staff flagged the prior ENTS (circa 2014) as out of date and said the update was overdue under current guidance. Staff also summarized AB 43 (which became effective mid‑2024 for practical implementation) and explained that the new law gives local agencies limited flexibility to set speed limits lower than the standard 85th‑percentile methodology under defined conditions.

Commissioners and public commenters pressed staff on data sources used to identify "high injury" locations. Multiple commissioners asked the consultant to reconcile the crash analysis with other sources — for example, local police reports and statewide collision databases — rather than relying only on publicly aggregated datasets. Commissioner Dunlap and others noted that some local streets where neighbors report repeated safety concerns (Arroyo Drive was discussed as an example) did not receive an automatic lower posting in the ENTS and asked staff to explain the criteria used (residential/business district definitions from the California Vehicle Code and the 85th‑percentile speed methodology were cited).

Bassam said the ENTS followed the standard steps: 85th‑percentile (prevailing) speed measurement via radar runs, field observations of roadway geometry and pedestrian/bicycle presence, and a three‑year collision review. He advised the commission that AB 43 allows a local agency to lower posted speeds by up to 5 mph below an ENTS outcome in certain circumstances (for example, on streets designated as "high‑injury network"), but that Caltrans guidance and an updated MUTCD definition for "high‑injury" are not yet fully incorporated statewide; staff said the city would therefore be cautious and document the engineering basis for any non‑standard reductions.

Public comments urged broader use of AB 43 to lower posted speeds where pedestrian and bicycle collisions occur and noted that several major corridors have recurring collisions. Commissioners asked staff to follow up with the consultant on two items before the ENTS is taken to council for final action: (1) re‑check collision sourcing and methodology (use of local police collision records vs. third‑party aggregated data), and (2) provide clearer maps and tables tying recommended postings to the statutory definitions of "residential district" and "business district." Staff said they would return with clarifications and anticipated forwarding the finalized ENTS to City Council for adoption so the Police Department can rely on the updated posted limits for enforcement.