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SPDLMT
Council Meeting, August 11, 1992
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AUG 11 1592
Santa Monica, California
"
To:
Mayor and City council
From:
city staff
Subject:
Ordinance Amending Santa Monica Municipal Code section
3347A to Establish Posted Speed Limits on San Vicente
Boulevard
INTRODUCTION
This report recommends the city council introduce for first
reading the attached ordinance amending Santa Monica Municipal
Code section 3347A to establish posted speed limits on San
vicente Boulevard.
BACKGROUND
The California Vehicle Code (CVC) requires that an engineering
and traffic survey be conducted every five years to justify
posted speed limits. If an engineering and traffic survey is not
completed every five years it inhibits the city's ability to
effectively enforce and prosecute violations. Radar enforcement
is specifically prohibited on any street segments without a
current engineering and traffic survey.
Enqineering and Traffic Surveys
section 627 of the Vehicle Code defines the three requirements of
an engineering and traffic survey. One part of the survey is the
consideration of the accident record for those street segments
for the last two years. The second consideration is any unusual
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AUG 1 1 1992
conditions or characteristics including safe stopping sight
distance, superelevation (the "Bank'. in the roadway), the land
use abutting the roadway, shoulder conditions, pedestrian
traffic, curved or narrow traffic lanes or commercial driveway
characteristics. Finally, a sampling of vehicles in a free flow
condition is conducted. The premise of this sampling is that a
reasonable and effective speed limit is one that conforms to the
actual behavior of the majority of motorists.
According to the state Traffic Manual, the speed limit normally
should be established at the first five mile per hour increment
below the 85th percentile speed. The 85th percentile is that
speed at or below which 85 percent of the traffic is moving. The
85th percentile is often referred to as the critical speed.
However, in matching existing conditions with the traffic safety
needs of the community, engineering judgement may indicate the
need for a further reduction of five miles per hour. The factors
justifying such a further reduction are the same factors
mentioned above. Whenever such factors are considered to
establish the speed limit, they should be documented on the speed
zone surveyor the accompanying engineering report. The
establishment of a speed limit of more than five miles per hour
below the 85th percentile (critical) speed should be done with
great care as this may make violators of a disproportionate
number of the reasonable majority of drivers.
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proposed chanqes
The current engineering and traffic surveys expired in 1990. New
engineering and traffic surveys have been completed for all
street segments. The review of the engineering and traffic
surveys indicates a requirement to change the existing posted
speed limit on San vicente Boulevard to conform with the
previously discussed requirements established by the state of
California for the posting of speed limits. The attached
ordinance incorporates the recommended change.
Recommended speed Limit Change
Street Existinq Speed Limit
Proposed Speed Limit
SAN VICENTE BOULEVARD 45
between 7th and 26th
35
The decrease of the speed limit is in compliance with the
engineering and traffic survey and would provide a uniform 35
mile per hour speed limit along the entire length of San vicente
Boulevard. In addition, this speed limit is consistent with the
speed limit in the City of Los Angeles. The attached ordinance
references the entire length of San Vicente Boulevard in the City
of Santa Monica, a part of which is already posted as 35 miles
per hour.
BUDGET/FISCAL IMPACT
There is no budget/fiscal impact. The cost of sign installations
or modifications can be absorbed within the division's budget.
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RECOMMENDATION
It is respectfully recommended that the city Council introduce
the accompanying ordinance amending Santa Monica Municipal Code
Section 3347A to establish posted speed limit on San vicente
Boulevard for first reading.
Prepared by: Paul Berlant, Director of Land Use and
Transportation Management
Ron Fuchiwaki, city Parking & Traffic Engineer
Jamal Rahimi, Senior Traffic Engineer
(spdlmt)
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CA:RMM:rmd1524/hpcal/pc
City Council Meeting 8-11-92
Santa Monica, California
ORDINANCE NUMBER
(City council Series)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF SANTA MONICA AMENDING SANTA MONICA
MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 3347A TO ESTABLISH
POSTED SPEED LIMITS ON VARIOUS CITY STREET SEGMENTS
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA DOES ORDAIN AS
FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1.
Santa Monica Municipal Code section 3347A is
amended to read as follows:
SECTION 3347A.
Modification of
state speed Limits in certain Zones.
After review made pursuant to California
Vehicle Code Section 627, it is hereby
determined that the speed permitted by
state law upon the following streets, or
portions thereof, is inappropriate for
the safe operation of vehicles by reason
of the prevailing speeds as determined by
traffic
engineering
measurements,
accident records, and highway traffic and
roadside conditions, and accordingly, the
prima facie speed
limit for these
streets, or portions thereof, shall be as
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follows when signs are erected giving
notice thereof:
(1) 45 Miles Per Hour:
(a) Olympic Boulevard from
11th street to centinela Avenue.
(2) 35 Miles Per Hour:
(a) San vicente Boulevard
from Ocean Avenue to 26th street.
(b) Broadway
street to centinela Avenue.
(c) Colorado Avenue from
Lincoln Boulevard to Centinela Avenue.
from
26th
(d) pica Boulevard
Ocean Avenue to centinela Avenue.
(e) Ocean Park Boulevard
from 14th Street to Centinela Avenue.
(f) Barnard Way from the
southeasterly Prolongation Line of Pier
Avenue to Hollister Avenue.
from
(g)
Ocean
Avenue
from
Hollister Avenue to Bicknell Avenue, and
from California Avenue to north city
limits.
(h) Neilson Way from south
City limits to pico Boulevard.
( i) Ma in street from Ocean
Park Boulevard to Colorado Avenue.
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(j)
26th
street
from
wilshire
Boulevard
to
San
Vicente
Boulevard.
(k) Wilshire Boulevard from
Lincoln Boulevard to Centinela Avenue.
(3) 30 Miles Per Hour:
(a)
Montana Avenue
from
Ocean Avenue to Stanford Street.
(b)
Arizona Avenue
from
Ocean Avenue to centinela Avenue.
(c) Ocean Avenue from
Colorado Avenue to California Avenue.
(d) 4th Street from Ocean
Park Boulevard to San vicente Boulevard.
(e) 7th Street from olympic
(north leg) to north city
Boulevard
limits.
(f) Lincoln Boulevard from
Santa Monica Boulevard to San Vicente
Boulevard.
(g) 11th street from Marine
Street to San Vicente Boulevard.
(h) 14th Street from Ashland
Avenue to San vicente Boulevard.
( i) 20th street from Ocean
Park Boulevard to Montana Avenue.
(j) 23rd Street from Navy
street to Pico Boulevard.
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(k) Cloverfield Boulevard
from Pico Boulevard to Santa Monica
Boulevard.
(1) 26th street from
Cloverfield Boulevard to Wilshire
Boulevard.
(m) Nebraska Avenue from
stewart Street to centinela Avenue.
(n) stewart street from
Olympic Boulevard to Colorado Avenue.
(0) Main street from the
south City limits to Ocean Park
Boulevard.
(p) Wilshire Boulevard from
Ocean Avenue to Lincoln Boulevard.
(q) 17th street from pico
Boulevard to Montana Avenue.
(r) Ocean Park Boulevard
from Barnard Way to 14th street.
{s} Marine street from
Lincoln Boulevard to 17th street.
(t) Robson street from 17th
street to Dewey street.
(u) santa Monica Boulevard
from Ocean Avenue to Lincoln Boulevard.
(v) Broadway
Avenue to 26th street.
from
Ocean
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(w) Colorado
Avenue
from
Ocean Avenue to Lincoln Boulevard.
(x) Dewey street from Robson
street to 23rd street.
(y) Airport Avenue from 23rd
street to Bundy Drive.
(z) 16th street from Marine
street to pico Boulevard.
SECTION 2. Any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal
Code or appendices thereto inconsistent with the provis ions of
this Ordinance, to the extent of such inconsistencies and no
further, are hereby repealed or modified to that extent necessary
to affect the provisions of this Ordinance.
SECTION 3. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause,
or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid
or unconstitutional by a decision of any court of any competent
jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the
remaining portions of this Ordinance. The city counci 1 hereby
declares that it would have passed this Ordinance, and each and
every section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase not
declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether
any portion of the Ordinance would be subsequently declared
invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 4. The Mayor shall sign and the City Clerk shall
attest to the passage of this Ordinance. The City Clerk shall
cause the same to be published once in the official newspaper
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within 15 days after its adoption. This Ordinance shall become
effective after 30 days from its adoption.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
~~~~
ROBERT M. MYERS
city Attorney
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