Leesburg study finds minimal speed change downtown after 20 mph limit; residential and expanded corridors showed larger drops

Neerajachandrapu, a transportation engineer with Leesburg Public Works, presented the town’s after‑speed study on the downtown 20 mph limit, which the council adopted in February 2023 and posted in June 2023.

The study compared operating speeds and crash data before and after the change. In the downtown core locations (seven core sites), the study found minimal change in speeds—about one to two miles per hour—and a small decrease in injury crashes (one fewer injury crash in the after period). In the expanded study locations that approach downtown, the data showed larger reductions in speeds: for example, North King Street south of Union Street saw an 80th‑percentile speed drop of about six mph and a seven‑mph drop in average speed; West Market Street showed reductions of up to 10 mph at some points.

Neerajachandrapu explained that historic crash comparisons include COVID‑affected years, which complicates year‑to‑year comparisons. The Residential Traffic Commission recommended retaining the existing 20 mph limit within the downtown core. Staff told council no action is required to keep the limit at 20 mph; a public hearing would be required only to revert the limit back to 25 mph.

Council members asked about enforcement and complaints. Staff said enforcement thresholds and police practices determine ticketing (an enforcement threshold around 10 mph over the limit was mentioned as an example) and that complaints remain in some corridors despite measured speed declines. Council members requested continued monitoring and more years of data to draw stronger statistical conclusions.

The recommendation: maintain the 20 mph downtown limit; staff will continue to monitor speeds and crash outcomes and will present the item for further action only if the council directs a change.