Des Moines is considering a citywide speed limit review
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Des Moines is considering commissioning an unprecedented study to reassess speed limits across the city, potentially expediting efforts to slow traffic and save lives.
Why it matters: The results could enable the city to better set local limits and reduce crashes, city traffic engineer John Davis tells Axios. It would be the first study of its kind in the state, he said.
Catch up quick: DSM City Council adopted a Vision Zero action plan last year in order to eliminate serious accidents on city streets by 2040.
- On average, over 100 people per year are killed or seriously injured on local streets, according to city data.
- "Traffic calming" projects that include fewer lanes of traffic are already underway in areas with high injury rates, including University and Euclid avenues.
Driving the news: Davis' team has proposed a citywide speed management program to review speeds in "a very proactive fashion" that would incorporate research from places like the Federal Highway Administration and Texas A&M.
- Currently, DSM's speeds are most intensely reviewed in specific places during construction projects.
- The new methodology would help the city prioritize problem areas citywide and identify whether speed limit changes are needed, Davis said.
Reality check: The study would require data collection and analysis from an engineering consulting firm, costing an estimated $250,000–$300,000. It has yet to be approved in the city budget.
- Davis said that DSM is looking for grants to pay for it, and the project is "off to the side" until funding is identified.
What's next: Other projects to slow traffic are in the works, including more speed bumps in neighborhoods throughout the city.