San Rafael council approves ordinance to change speed limits on 24 roadway segments

San Rafael —— The City Council on Feb. 18 voted unanimously to introduce and adopt an ordinance adjusting posted speed limits on 24 San Rafael roadway segments, a move city staff said is aimed at improving pedestrian and bicyclist safety, particularly in downtown business districts.

Assistant Director Joanna Quach and Parametrics consultant Jimmy Giuseppe presented the engineering and traffic survey (ETS) results and explained how Assembly Bill 43 allows cities to factor vulnerable roadway users into speed-limit decisions. Giuseppe said the ETS follows the California Vehicle Code method (measuring free-flow speeds of 100 vehicles and using the 85th percentile as a baseline) but AB 43 provides additional discretion to lower limits where pedestrian and bicyclist exposure or "safety corridors" exist. "AB 43 requires local jurisdictions to take into account the presence of vulnerable roadway users," Giuseppe said, noting downtown corridors were prioritized because local crash data shows higher collision rates there.

Why it matters: staff emphasized the safety trade-offs tied to speed. The presentations cited research showing a pedestrian's chance of survival drops sharply with speed (presenters contrasted a roughly 90% survival chance at 20 mph with about 20% at 40 mph) to explain why lowering limits can materially affect outcomes.

Implementation and enforcement: staff said the changes will be paired with public outreach, new signage, pavement striping and, in some places, pavement markings (large "20" stencils). Joanna Quach said the city expects physical installation and an education period late spring to summer, followed by a 30-day warning window after improvements are in place before routine enforcement. Lieutenant Holm (San Rafael Police Department) said enforcement will continue to follow the California Vehicle Code and that officers will issue citations subject to the usual traffic court process.

Council questions and scope: councilmembers asked about specific streets (Point San Pedro Road and Anderson Drive) and whether segmented reductions might confuse drivers. Public Works Director April Miller and the consultant said those roads were included in the ETS but cross-jurisdictional issues (county segments) and additional AB 43 analysis merit a coordinated, holistic approach; staff described a planned phase 2 to expand AB 43 evaluations citywide.

Funding and related work: staff noted recent grant awards, including an Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant and a Regional Measure 3 award, and said the city has more than $10 million in active transportation and road-safety funding to support implementation.

Outcome: Councilmember Hill moved to introduce the ordinance, waive further reading and refer it by title only; the motion passed by roll call vote 5-0. The city clerk read the ordinance title referencing the California Vehicle Code (sections 22357 and 22358). Staff corrected an apparent transcription misread of the clerk's spoken jurisdiction name (the action pertains to San Rafael). The revised speed limits take effect after the city completes signage and the required notice period, and staff will report back with monitoring results and collision statistics after implementation.