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Gunnison council to ask UDOT about lowering Main Street speeds after citizen concerns
Summary
Councilors discussed a citizen request to reconsider posted speeds on Main Street, heard a recent speed study showing 85th-percentile speeds near 43 mph where 30 mph is posted, and agreed to ask UDOT whether to adjust the posted speed to 35 mph or change transition points.
Gunnison City Councilors agreed to ask the Utah Department of Transportation for guidance after a citizen raised safety concerns about posted speeds on Main Street near schools and commercial areas.
Kim Pickett, who relayed the citizen concern, said increased commerce and school activity near the Creek Ridge area has made the street feel less safe: "You've got more stores, you've got more students... at a 45 mile per hour speed limit that, first off, is maybe just go 35 all the way through," she said, arguing a lower posted speed would improve safety.
The police chief recommended a data-driven approach. "If the chief does a traffic study, I think that the 80 percentile... is gonna be 35," he said, recommending the council request an 85th- or 80th-percentile speed study from UDOT. Dennis noted a recent October study covering Highway 89 through town that found 85th-percentile speeds around 43 mph where the posted limit is 30 mph, and said he could provide that study to the council.
Council members discussed two possible approaches to present to UDOT: (1) maintain the existing 30/35 transition but adjust the transition point, or (2) request 35 mph posted through the corridor. Several members expressed support for lowering speed limits near the school and for obtaining UDOT’s context-sensitive recommendation before making a final decision.
The council directed staff to contact UDOT, share the recent speed study and request the agency’s assessment of the two options. No formal ordinance or speed change was adopted at the meeting; next steps are to gather UDOT feedback and any additional traffic engineering data.
