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Council directs staff to revise Lake Oswego '20 is Plenty' ordinance after public hearing; motion passes 4-1
Summary
After a public hearing and staff presentation on an ordinance to lower residential and eligible neighborhood collector speed limits to 20 mph, the council directed staff to amend and return an ordinance that reflects the discussion. Council's direction was adopted 4-1; the council did not adopt the ordinance outright at this meeting.
The Lake Oswego City Council on Aug. 5 held a public hearing on Ordinance 2966, a proposal to implement a "20 is plenty" speed limit program that would lower the statutory speed limit on many local residential streets and eligible neighborhood collectors by five miles per hour.
City Engineer and Public Works Director Erica Rooney and Assistant City Engineer and traffic engineer Will Farley gave the staff presentation and described the scope and implementation strategy. Farley said the city has about 190 miles of roads under its jurisdiction, roughly 135 miles classified as local streets and about 20 miles as neighborhood collectors. He recommended a policy that would lower speeds to 20 mph on local streets and some neighborhood collectors that meet specific criteria (operating like local streets, under city jurisdiction, average daily traffic under 2,000 vehicles, and an 85th-percentile speed under 30 mph).
Farley told the council the program would be phased: replacing existing 25-mph signs on local streets (about 135 signs, procurement and installation up to six months), signing neighborhood collectors (approximately 230 signs, up to 12 months for posts and utility locates), and conducting education and outreach this fall.
Public testimony included two residents who urged caution. Charlotte McWilliams urged the council to review results from other cities and to check whether lowering posted limits changed driver behavior in practice. Matt Williams, a Lakeview Boulevard resident, said removing vegetation at his driveway improved sight lines but also increased vehicle speeds.
Council discussion: Council members emphasized pedestrian safety and the need for complementary tools such as infrastructure changes and enforcement. Councilor Afghan asked whether the city must meet county criteria for collector roads; staff said cities have a separate statutory option to reduce speed limits in residence districts without an ODOT speed study, but county roads may require different criteria. Councilor Corrigan and the mayor said the city is increasing residential density and must plan for safer walking conditions; Councilor Verdi and others emphasized consistency across segments and the difficulty of signing a patchwork of different limits where a road shifts between city and county jurisdiction.
Action taken: Rather than adopting Ordinance 2966 as presented, the council directed staff to amend the ordinance to reflect the council's discussion (including the policy criteria for neighborhood collectors and the desire for consistent signage) and bring it back at a future meeting. Mayor Buck moved to direct staff to prepare a revised ordinance; Councilor Corrigan seconded. The motion carried 4-1.
Outcome and next steps: Staff will prepare amendments to the ordinance and return to the council with revised language and implementing details. Council members said they expect a significant public outreach and education component and noted that signs alone were not expected to solve speeding without accompanying infrastructure, enforcement and education.
Speakers: Assistant City Engineer Will Farley led the technical presentation; Public Works Director Erica Rooney participated in the discussion. Several council members spoke at length and the mayor framed the direction to staff.
