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Council debates speeding on Hope Road; officials weigh studies, signage and enforcement
Summary
Councilmembers discussed a traffic study that found high speeds on Hope Road and debated responses including radar signs, restriping, road stenciling, enforcement and the prospect — disputed by some — of raising posted speed limits in parts of the corridor.
Council members spent a significant portion of the meeting discussing speeding and pedestrian safety on Hope Road, where residents and councilmembers reported frequent high speeds and safety concerns near a school.
Councilman Ritz, who raised the issue, cited a traffic study he said showed 62% of monitored vehicles were at least 10 mph over the posted 25 mph speed limit and an average speed of 37 mph. He said the traffic engineer recommended splitting the corridor into three study zones to isolate problems and allow targeted interventions such as restriping, road narrowing where feasible and radar speed signs.
City staff and the police colonel told the council they could increase enforcement and repair or redeploy radar speed signs; staff also proposed stenciling 'SCHOOL' on the roadway approaches to the school. The director cautioned that narrowing the roadway was not possible in some places and said a formal outside traffic study could cost “tens of thousands of dollars.”
The council discussed a controversial suggestion — reported from the traffic engineer and police — to raise the posted speed limit on parts of the corridor (from 25 to 40 mph) to align posted limits with measured driving speeds and, they argued, increase compliance. Several council members opposed that idea for school-area segments. Councilwoman Heroyan said she could not support raising the speed limit near a middle school; Councilman Bonanno, whose wife teaches at Hope Highlands, said raising the speed limit to mitigate speeding was "a joke" and urged that school-area limits remain 25 mph or be reduced to 20 mph with additional markings and safety measures.
Council members asked staff for more data on accidents and the proportion of students who walk to school; staff said those figures would likely require consultation with the school department. Next steps noted in the meeting included repairing and deploying radar speed signs, stenciling the school approaches, and considering whether to commission a paid outside traffic study to guide longer-term decisions.
The discussion concluded without a formal vote; councilmembers said they would follow up with staff on implementing immediate measures and on the feasibility and cost of a broader traffic study.
