Clean & Safe: New speed limits in Santa Monica prioritize roadway safety for all users
August 29, 2024 7:59 AM
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Aug. 28, 2024) – Speed limits on more than 30 miles of Santa Monica streets will be lowered, following unanimous approval by the Santa Monica City Council on Tuesday.
These reductions are the results of a speed survey conducted earlier this year to ensure the speed limits remain valid. The survey, conducted from Jan. 27 through Jul. 29, includes measurement of vehicular speeds along roadway segments to determine the speed of a majority of drivers, which is the most effective attribute in establishing speed limits.
The study recommended only one increase in speed limit, from 25 to 30 miles per hour, on a 0.3-mile segment of California Avenue. A full list of approved speed adjustments, recommended in consultation with the Santa Monica Police Department, is included below.
The city will begin rolling out new signage exhibiting the updated speed limits this fall.
The proposed speed limit changes support the city’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating fatal and severe injury crashes on city streets by improving safety for all roadway users.
Council adopted Vision Zero in February 2016. Unsafe speed is the second most common violation cited in fatal and severe crashes in the city, at 14 percent of the total. Crashes at slower speeds are less likely to result in fatalities, and the application of reasonable and safe speed limits allows for effective enforcement of speed limits throughout the city.
“Reducing vehicle speeds on our roads is vital to create safer conditions for getting around in our city,” Department of Transportation Director Anuj Gupta said. “It is one of the many ways Santa Monica is creating a street network that is more safe, connected and attractive for all roadway users.”
The ordinance will be adopted 30 days after the second reading, which is anticipated for Sept. 10. For more information, view the staff report here.
Reduction to 35 mph
1. Olympic Boulevard between 11th Street and Centinela Avenue – from 40 to 35 mph
Reduction to 30 mph
2. Lincoln Boulevard between I-10 Freeway and Pico Boulevard – from 35 to 30 mph
3. Ocean Park Boulevard between 23rd Street and Centinela Avenue – from 35 to 30 mph
4. Pico Boulevard between Lincoln Boulevard and Centinela Avenue – from 35 to 30 mph
Reduction to 25 mph
5. 2nd Street between Wilshire Boulevard and Colorado Avenue — from 30 to 25 mph
6. 4th Street between Colorado Avenue and Pico Boulevard — from 30 to 25 mph
7. 11th Street between San Vicente Boulevard and Marine Street — from 30 to 25 mph
8. 14th Street between San Vicente Boulevard and Ashland Avenue — from 30 to 25 mph
9. 20th Street between Wilshire and Pico boulevards — from 30 to 25 mph
10. 26th Street between San Vicente and Cloverfield boulevards – from 30 to 25 mph
11. Colorado Avenue between Ocean Avenue and 17th Street — from 30 to 25 mph
12. Dewey Street between Robson Avenue and 23rd Street — from 30 to 25 mph
13. Main Street between Colorado Avenue and Pico Boulevard — from 30 to 25 mph
14. Marine Street between Lincoln Boulevard and 17th Street — from 30 to 25 mph
15. Montana Avenue between Ocean Avenue and Stanford Street — from 30 to 25 mph
16. Neilson Way between Pico Boulevard and Marine Street — from 30 to 25 mph
17. Ocean Avenue between the north city limit and Pico Boulevard — from 30 to 25 mph
18. Ocean Park Boulevard between Barnard Way and 23rd Street — from 30 to 25 mph
19. Pico Boulevard between Appian Way and Lincoln Boulevard — from 35 to 25 mph
20. Stewart Street between Colorado Avenue and Pico Boulevard — from 30 to 25 mph
21. Wilshire Boulevard between Ocean Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard — from 30 to 25 mph
Reduction to 20 mph
22. 6th Street between Pico Boulevard and Pier Avenue — from 30 to 20 mph
23. 20th Street between Pico and Ocean Park boulevards — from 25 to 20 mph
24. Appian Way between Pacific Coast Highway and Bay Street — from 25 to 20 mph
25. Ashland Avenue between Neilson Way and Lincoln Boulevard — from 25 to 20 mph
26. Barnard Way between Hollister Avenue and Neilson Way — from 25 to 20 mph
27. California Avenue between Ocean Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard — from 25 to 20 mph
28. Michigan Avenue between Lincoln Boulevard and 19th Street — from 25 (statutory) to 20 mph
29. Washington Avenue between Ocean Avenue and Stanford Street — from 25 to 20 mph
Increase to 30 MPH
1. California Avenue between Pacific Coast Highway and Ocean Avenue (also known as the California Incline) — from 25 to 30 mph
Media Contact
Tati Simonian
Public Information Officer
Tati.Simonian@santamonica.gov
Categories
Getting Around, Programs, Safety, Transportation Planning