Escondido commission certifies seven speed surveys, keeps posted limits

The City of Escondido Transportation Community Safety Commission on April 10 certified seven engineering and traffic speed surveys and recommended the City Council retain the existing posted speed limits on those segments.

The certification — required by the California Vehicle Code to support traffic enforcement and court challenges — covers seven randomly selected street segments and met the minimum data requirements identified by the consultant, STC Traffic. Commission approval was recorded as a 5-0 vote.

STC Traffic consultant Rob Blau told commissioners the surveys used a standard minimum sample of 100 vehicles and focused on the 85th-percentile speed (the speed at or below which roughly 85 out of 100 vehicles are traveling) alongside collision history and pedestrian/bicycle exposure. "If the speed surveys aren't current, somebody could challenge the speed survey not meeting their criteria. So it's important the city get these to the courts regularly," Blau said.

Blau said six of the seven surveyed segments would retain their existing posted limits under the study's rounding and posting rules. "So it's good news for the city. Everything can remain as is, if that's what you seek," he said.

Commissioners pressed staff about one Broadway segment near schools where the 50th-percentile speed measured about 43 mph while the posted limit is 40 mph. A commissioner said many drivers travel nearly 50 mph in that area and asked what could be done to slow vehicles approaching school zones. Commissioners discussed enforcement as an immediate tool and longer-term street design options. Blau and commissioners said possibilities include targeted enforcement, improved signage, and longer-term changes such as lane reduction on sections with excess capacity; the commission noted intersections or lane changes could reduce speeds but that such measures require study and public engagement.

Commissioners approved the consultant's recommendation to certify the seven speed surveys and forward the certification to the City Council for posting/retention of existing limits. The commission also discussed that the city expects to bring roughly 50 additional speed surveys for review later in the year.

The commission's discussion noted practical limits: enforcement resources and the need to coordinate with police for targeted enforcement, and the complexities of physical traffic-calming measures where emergency response implications or neighborhood impacts need to be vetted. Blau described how rounding rules can affect posted speeds and said cities often retain prior posted limits where lane configurations have not changed.

The commission recorded the formal action to certify the seven speed surveys by voice/hand vote with a tally of five in favor and none opposed.