Fremont City
California
Council Staff Report
5082
Information
| Department: | Public Works | Sponsors: | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category: | Code Adoptions & Amendments |
Attachments
Item Discussion
Executive Summary: The purpose of this report is to introduce an ordinance to update posted speed limits on designated streets citywide. An updated Engineering and Traffic Survey (”Survey”) has been prepared which validates the existing posted speed limit along 141 city roadway segments and allows for reducing the posted speed limit for 30 roadway segments. Having a current Survey is necessary to allow the Police Department to continue radar speed enforcement in the City.
Body
BACKGROUND:
Speed Limit Setting Legislative Framework
The California Vehicle Code (“CVC”) Section 22352 establishes default speed limits for vehicles upon highways, as specified. CVC Sections 22357 and 22358 authorize the City to adjust default speed limits on streets and roads under its jurisdiction based upon certain findings determined by a Survey. Per CVC 40802, the Survey must consider prevailing speeds and road conditions, among other factors, and must be performed every five to seven years. The Survey period may be extended to 14 years based on a registered engineer determination that no significant changes in roadway or traffic conditions have occurred. Local speed limits must be posted and supported by a Survey to enable the Fremont Police Department to enforce the speed limits with radar and other electronic devices.
The requirements and guidelines for performing the Survey are set forth in CVC Section 627 and in the California Manual for setting Speed Limits (“Manual”). The Manual states that speed limits are generally established at or near the 85th percentile free flow vehicle operating speed, which is defined as the speed at or below which 85th percent of traffic is moving during uncongested conditions. More recently, Assembly Bill 43 allows cities, after completing a Survey, to reduce speeds an additional five miles per hour if the roadway has been designated as a safety corridor or the roadway is adjacent to a land use or facility that generates high concentrations of bicyclists or pedestrians, especially those from vulnerable groups such as children, seniors, persons with disabilities, and the unhoused.
Current Speed Management Actions
The City Council adopted a Vision Zero traffic safety policy in 2015, a Vision Zero Action Plan in 2016, and renewed Vision Zero Action Plan in 2021. A key objective in the Action Plans is to tame high-speed arterial streets. Speed is an essential aspect of traffic safety, as higher speeds increase both the likelihood and severity of crashes. Higher speeds mean drivers require more time to react and longer distances to brake and crashes have an exponentially greater transfer of energy. The chance of a pedestrian being killed when hit by a vehicle increases from 35 percent to 68 percent when vehicle speed increases just 5 mph from 35 mph to 40 mph.
The City has undertaken a number of efforts to manage speed since adopting its Vision Zero policy, including reconfiguring roadways with narrowed lanes and tighter intersections; installing radar feedback signs citywide; installing speed lumps in school zones and neighborhoods; installing additional stop signs and yield markers; implementing school zone projects based on Safe Routes to School plans prepared for every school in the City; implementing signal coordination timing along high-speed corridors that optimizes traffic flow at slower speeds; and targeted police enforcement. With these actions, the City has seen a notable reduction in severe injury and fatal crashes. However, a significant factor in recent severe injury and fatal crashes continues to be reckless speeding.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS:
Proposed New Speed Limits
The City last conducted a citywide Survey in 2015, and the resulting recommended speed limits were approved by Council and codified in the Fremont Municipal CodeSection10.05.1000. The 2015 Survey expired in late 2023 and needs to be updated.
It is noted that in 2019, the City conducted a “mid-cycle” Survey update for roadway segments which were subject to speed management improvements that had been completed as part of the City’s Vision Zero Program. That Survey facilitated reducing speed limits for 38 road segments.
Changes to roadway and traffic conditions have occurred over the past seven years, which called for an updated Survey of posted speed limits along local streets. The City’s consultant, Kimley-Horn and Associates, conducted the new Survey between Winter 2022 and Summer 2023. The new Survey validates the existing posted speed limit for 141 roadway segments, while recommending a decrease in posted speed limit for 30 roadway segments. The 2023 Survey does not recommend any increase in posted speed limit in the City. A copy of the 2023 Survey is on file for review in the office of the City Clerk as required by Fremont Municipal Code Section 10.05.1000.
The City’s speed limits along local streets are codified in the Fremont Municipal Code Section 10.05.1000. The following table summarizes the 30 street segments with recommended decreases in speed limits based on the 2023 Survey.
Street Segments with a Proposed Decrease to the Existing Speed Limit
Street Name | Segment | Existing Speed Limit | Recommended Speed Limit |
1. Albrae Street | Stewart to Christy | 35 | 30 |
2. Alvarado Boulevard | Deep Creek to City Limits | 45 | 40 |
3. Argonaut Way | Mowry to Walnut | 30 | 25 |
4. Auto Mall Parkway | Westerly end to Boyce | 45 | 40 |
5. Boscell Road | Auto Mall to Bunche | 35 | 30 |
6. Bunche Drive | Christy to Cushing | 35/30 | 30/25 |
7. Christy Street | Auto Mall to Brandin | 35 | 30 |
8. Country Drive | Paseo Padre to Stivers | 30 | 25 |
9. Curie Street | Christy to Boscell | 30 | 25 |
10. Deep Creek Road | Alvarado to Paseo Padre | 35 | 30 |
11. Dumbarton Circle | Paseo Padre to Kaiser | 35 | 30 |
12. Dusterberry Way | Central to Thornton | 35 | 30 |
13. Farwell Drive | Brophy to Flamingo | 30 | 25 |
14. Fremont Boulevard | Blacow to Auto Mall | 40 | 35 |
15. Hansen Avenue | Blacow to Yolo | 35 | 30 |
16. Isherwood Way | Paseo Padre to City Limits | 35 | 30 |
17. Kaiser Drive | Ardenwood to Paseo Padre | 40 | 30 |
18. Liberty Street | Stevenson to Walnut | 30 | 25 |
19. Mowry Avenue | Paseo Padre to Fremont | 40 | 35 |
20. Mowry Avenue | Fremont to Argonaut | 40 | 35 |
21. Overacker Avenue | Mowry to L-Curve | 35 | 25 |
22. Page Avenue | Kato to Milmont | 35 | 30 |
23. Paseo Padre Parkway | Decoto to Thornton | 45 | 40 |
24. Shinn Street | Peralta to Von Euw | 30 | 25 |
25. Stevenson Boulevard | Mission to Civic Center | 40 | 35 |
26. Stevenson Boulevard | Blacow to I-880 | 40 | 35 |
27. Stevenson Boulevard | I-880 to Westerly End | 40 | 35 |
28. Technology Drive | Auto Mall to Grimmer | 35 | 30 |
29. Thornton Avenue | Fremont to Easterly End | 40 | 35 |
30. Walnut Avenue | Fremont to Paseo Padre | 35 | 30 |
Staff has prepared a draft Ordinance shown in Attachment 1 that amends Section 10.05.1000 of Chapter 10.05 of Title 10 of the Fremont Municipal Code to adopt the speed limit changes identified above.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no cost associated with the approval of the Survey and adoption of the proposed ordinance. There will be minimal cost for purchasing and updating speed signs for the locations where changes to the posted speed limits are required. Funding for the replacement of speed limit signs is part of the City’s existing operating budget for street maintenance.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: This ordinance is exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), in that it is not a project which has the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
Document Comments
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. Hold a Public Hearing.
2. Find that the recommended actions are exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), in that it is not a project which has the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment.
3. Approve the Engineering and Traffic Survey for Speed Limits Final Report dated December 2023, prepared by Kimley-Horn and Associates, which identifies the engineering basis for determining the new speed limits in the City.
4. Introduce an ordinance amending Section 10.05.1000 of the Fremont Municipal Code to update established speed limits on City roadways.
