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Council pauses citywide speed-limit ordinance, asks staff for 45-day follow-up on school and truck-route segments
Summary
After hearing a consultant’s engineering and traffic surveys, the council voted to delay final adoption and asked staff to study specific school-zone and truck-route segments before introducing a final ordinance.
Carson officials delayed final action on a proposed ordinance updating posted speed limits on dozens of city street segments, instructing staff to return in about 45 days with additional study focused on school-area segments and heavily used truck routes.
Traffic engineering consultant Jamie Bourgeois summarized the methodology used to set posted limits under the California Vehicle Code: the engineering and traffic surveys measure prevailing speeds and typically set speed limits using the 85th-percentile speed rounded to the nearest 5 mph. Bourgeois also noted Assembly Bill 43 allows engineers some additional flexibility to reduce posted limits by 5 MPH in areas with high pedestrian and bicycle activity or where collisions are concentrated.
Why this matters: The proposed ordinance would change limits on 94 segments; 21 segments were proposed for reductions and three segments would receive new posted limits. Council members raised concerns about segments near schools and along Santa Fe and University drives, citing high truck traffic and pedestrian activity.
Key discussion points and council direction
Councilmember Jim Dear pressed staff on a Figueroa Street segment near Stephen M. White Middle School, describing drivers accelerating off a freeway ramp and urging a lower limit for the school-adjacent portion. Bourgeois confirmed the engineering team recommended a 35 mph posting for the segment between 220 Third Street and Del Amo Boulevard and reminded the council that separately posted school-zone limits can apply when children are present.
Dr. Joanne Hilton asked whether signal synchronization had been studied; staff responded Los Angeles County controls many signals and that a study of Avalon within city limits is already underway. Mayor Pro Tem Cedric Hicks raised concerns about University Drive and Santa Fe — areas with recent complaints about heavy truck traffic and residents reporting shaken houses — and asked staff to return with focused analysis and possible mitigation.
Outcome
Council agreed to continue the ordinance for approximately 45 days so staff and consultants could: 1) confirm the exact segments by the schools and consider lowering posted limits where warranted; 2) review University Drive and Santa Fe truck-route segments for additional traffic calming or enforcement options; and 3) provide recommendations for signage, enforcement tools and any necessary engineer-backed ordinances that will remain enforceable with electronic devices. A staff representative said the supplemental studies and staff report can likely be completed in about one month and returned in the requested 45-day window.
Ending
The council did not adopt new speed-limit postings at this meeting. Staff will return with targeted analysis and any proposed ordinance revisions for a second reading and final action once the supplemental work is complete.
