Title
To request that the Chief Administrative Officer cause the Department of Public Works to develop a process for City residents to request traffic studies of the residential areas within their neighborhoods for the purpose of assessing the appropriateness of instituting a 15 mile per hour speed limit in such areas to increase traffic safety.
Body
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of Council, the speed limits within the city of Richmond vary considerably; and
WHEREAS, according to the document entitled “Pioneering Study Affirms Vision Zero Focus on Speed Management,” prepared by the Vision Zero Network, and dated August 28, 2018, lowering speed limits is an effective tool to increase road safety; and
WHEREAS, a recent study entitled “Speed,” released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, shows that (i) lower speed limits reduce the speed at which people travel and improve safety for all road users; (ii) the likelihood of pedestrians or bicyclists surviving impact with a vehicle increases significantly with each five mile per hour decrease in the speed limit; and (iii) that the practice of setting speed limits based on the traditional 85th percentile standard can be a hurdle to improving safety; and
WHEREAS, the Council believes that the implementation of a 15 mile per hour speed limit in certain neighborhoods and a process for citizens to request the 15 mile per hour speed limit in their neighborhoods based on standards other than the traditional 85th percentile standard would be an additional tool for increasing traffic safety in the city of Richmond; and
WHEREAS, the Council believes that it is in the best interests of the residents of the city of Richmond that the Chief Administrative Officer cause the Department of Public Works to develop a process for City residents to request traffic studies of the residential areas within their neighborhoods for the purpose of assessing the appropriateness of instituting a 15 mile per hour speed limit in such areas to increase traffic safety;
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND:
That the Council hereby requests that the Chief Administrative Officer cause the Department of Public Works to develop a process for City residents to request traffic studies of the residential areas within their neighborhoods for the purpose of assessing the appropriateness of instituting a 15 mile per hour speed limit in such areas to increase traffic safety, which includes the following:
1. Simple to follow instructions and traffic study request forms, both of which are easily accessible to residents of the city of Richmond by downloading from the City’s website and made available to residents in printed form.
Clear guidance concerning the process by which residents of the city of Richmond may submit traffic study requests and how residents may monitor any such request until a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour is established within the targeted area or another appropriate resolution is achieved.