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Council introduces changes to speed zones, including 17‑Mile Drive and sections of Forest Avenue
Summary
Council introduced and approved the first reading of an ordinance to update municipal speed zones. Notable recommended changes include reducing parts of 17‑Mile Drive and several local corridors to 25 mph and adjusting one Forest Avenue segment toward 15 mph; staff said enforcement and engineering constraints will determine final enforceable limits.
Pacific Grove’s City Council introduced amendments to the municipal code that update speed‑zone designations across multiple corridors, and held the first reading of an ordinance that will return for a second reading on April 1.
Public Works Director Daniel Go described segment‑by‑segment results of required engineering and 85th‑percentile speed surveys. Among the recommended changes presented were reducing 17‑Mile Drive (Sunset/Highway 68 to Lighthouse) from 30 to 25 mph, lowering Junnell Avenue and Patterson Lane segments to 25 mph, and combining segments for consistency. Go also recommended adjusting a Forest Avenue segment "to 15," noting the survey shows conditions that could support that change.
"We evaluate speeds on the prescribed road segments and then we can adjust five miles an hour one way or the other," Go said, underscoring that posted limits must be justified by engineering to be enforceable by the courts.
During public comment, resident Gene Haskell said many drivers already exceed posted limits on Lighthouse and urged enforcement measures rather than only changing signs. Councilmembers discussed corridor‑level uniformity to reduce driver confusion and asked about movable or permanent speed‑feedback signs.
Councilmembers approved the motion to introduce the ordinance and set a second reading date; the motion passed on a roll call vote (6‑0, one absent). Staff said final adoption after the second reading would trigger an administrative step to file certified speed zones with traffic courts and to update signage, a process staff estimates will cost under $5,000 in initial sign updates and can be achieved within operations budgets.
What’s next: staff will return for a second reading on April 1, update legal certification with traffic courts, and plan signage and enforcement coordination with the police department.
