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Birchwood Village weighs 20 mph speed policy; Road Safety Committee authorized to continue study
Summary
Council discussed lowering local speed limits to 20 mph, noting a full engineering study may cost about $25,000 under Minnesota statute. The council authorized the Road Safety Committee to continue citizen-led work to explore compliant, lower-cost options and to develop citywide procedures.
Councilors discussed whether to pursue a citywide 20 mph speed limit and how to comply with Minnesota law requiring a safety engineering and traffic analysis. An engineering estimate provided to the city by Bolton & Mink put a formal study cost for Cedar Street at about $25,000.
Marcus and others warned that lowering a limit without following required procedures risks tickets being overturned or affecting state aid. Council members explored a lower-cost, citizen‑led approach outlined in the statute that would assemble crash data, national guidance and a communication plan rather than commissioning a full firm-led study. "I think going and seeing what they did and using that as kind of a starting point" was suggested by councilors examining neighboring cities’ approaches.
After discussion, the council voted to extend the tenure of the Road Safety Committee so that it can develop citywide procedures, review crash data, and pilot a citizen-led study process for the proposed 20 mph policy. The committee will report back with a proposal the council can consider at a later date.
Why it matters: A citywide speed reduction would affect every resident’s daily travel and enforcement; compliance with state procedures is important to make the change legally defensible and to protect state funding eligibility.
Next steps: The Road Safety Committee will gather guidance, contact the sheriff’s office for crash data, and consult example studies from comparable municipalities. Council asked staff to prepare a crosswalk and sign plans associated with other safety initiatives tied to the lift-station/road work.
