Keizer committee presses staff to prepare report on neighborhood speed reductions after speed studies

At the March 20, 2025 meeting, the Keizer Traffic Safety, Bikeways and Pedestrian Committee reviewed results of recent speed studies and discussed next steps for pursuing reduced neighborhood speed limits.

Committee members said several speed studies have been completed (including Verta and Harmony Drive). One participant summarized a count that showed roughly 8,400 vehicles per week (about 1,200 vehicles per day) on a studied corridor; the transcript discussion notes that 85% of vehicles were recorded at 31 mph or below while the remaining vehicles exceeded that threshold. A committee member calculated that the count of higher-speed vehicles translated to about 279 vehicles per day traveling above the 32 mph threshold.

Members discussed the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP) criteria and noted that while some streets met the volume criterion, they did not meet both NTMP criteria needed to automatically trigger higher-level engineering responses. Committee members said the next step is staff preparation of a formal report and recommendation for city council; that report will include background, consultant inputs and any necessary funding considerations.

Committee members discussed enforcement limits (an officer noted enforcement resources are limited) and the cost implications for any engineering fixes. Public Works and committee members said sign replacement and consultant work to change posted limits or implement engineering changes would have budget implications and could take time to progress through the budget process.

No new speed-limit reductions were adopted at the meeting. Committee members asked staff to consolidate the speed-study results and prepare the staff report to present to the council when resources and timing allow.