Manitowoc council keeps 25 mph limit on stretch of Waldo Boulevard after rejecting 30 mph amendment

The Manitowoc Common Council voted 8–1 to deny a request to increase the speed limit on a stretch of Waldo Boulevard, keeping the limit at 25 miles per hour. The vote came after the council rejected an amendment that would have set the limit at 30 mph.

Alderman Rekleberg moved to amend the committee recommendation and set the limit at 30 mph as a compromise, arguing that 25 mph was "very unreasonable for that section" and that drivers already traveled faster. "If you set it at 30, maybe people will go 30," Rekleberg said during debate. The amendment was seconded by Alderman Norell but failed 1–8 on a roll-call vote; Rekleberg cast the lone yes.

Opponents, including Aldermen Tim Bolt and Mike Cummings, said safety concerns near a school district, the number of driveways on that segment and pedestrian use near a park supported keeping the limit at 25 mph. Bolt said the approach toward the school made lowering the risk a priority, and Cummings noted patrol officers had recommended the lower limit as a way to slow traffic and improve enforcement.

The issue had been discussed in the Public Safety Committee, which recommended denying the speed increase and asked the full council to adopt that recommendation. The council returned the main motion to deny the request and carried it 8–1, with Rekleberg voting no.

What happens next: the council’s decision keeps the posted speed at 25 mph for that segment of Waldo Boulevard between the roundabout and North 6th Street. Several council members urged a broader, citywide study of speed‑limit consistency before making similar changes elsewhere.