Dear Friends & Neighbors,
One of the more common complaints that my office receives is traffic speed. It is a concern everywhere.
As our roads have become more congested, impatient drivers seek alternatives that will give them an edge to their destination. It is not just the increased congestion that is sending drivers down less traveled roads and streets—it is the technology that allows drivers to map an alternative route from their smart phone or vehicle’s navigation system.
At that point, human nature takes over. A driver who takes an alternate route doesn’t want to lose time, so the driver speeds crazily, risking accidents and disrupting usually calm neighborhoods.
Most people who contact me have propose suggestions. They are almost always sound suggestions, but they can’t always be implemented, or they take time. I want to run down a few of the options available for traffic calming and why requirements for implementing them exist.
Stop Signs and Stoplights – Upon taking office, one of my first surprises was learning the difficult process to put a stop sign or stoplight onto an intersection. In today’s world, one cannot just look at an intersection and put one of these up. This option is out of the control of the county. The state requires an eight-step process to review if a stop sign or stoplight can be placed. That review process requires all eight steps to come back affirmative. If the county goes ahead and places a stop sign with just seven of the eight conditions met, then the county becomes liable when the inevitable accident occurs.
Lowering Speed Limit – Once again a commonsense solution is not so easily allowed because of the state. The state requires that speed limits be largely based on how fast the traffic normally drives. If the average speed limit is 40 mph, but the desire is to lower it to 25 mph, that will not work. The reasoning, I suppose, is that cars going 25 mph will cause more accidents than if everyone is driving 40 mph. In 2022, the county proposed raising some of the speed limits on North County roads. Although I was not yet in office, I argued successfully to Public Works that the increase in speeding that was driving the reassessment of speed limits was coming from commuter speeders. My input was taken into consideration and speed limits were not increased. As you can see, lowering the speed limit is not an easy solution.
Speed Humps – Often also referred to as speed bumps, but there is a difference. Bumps tend to be shorter and more jarring. Humps tend to be longer and gentler to drive over. The humps are what are used on most public roads. Emergency services are not usually a fan of either, but especially speed bumps. You can imagine how a speed bump would be a problem for an ambulance with a patient inside.
The county follows the state lead on this. Speed humps are considered a community betterment. This means that they are not considered standard safety additions to a road like guardrails. It also means that the county will not pay for one to be installed. That is left to the neighborhood. Clearly wealthy neighborhoods can afford this better than less wealthy neighborhoods.
I have been seeking to change this to a more constituent-friendly budgeting such as Salinas has. I have made some strides. It is not such a hard and fast rule at this point, as there some options not to have the neighborhood pay for it. However, one neighbor can’t just request a speed hump. Some people like speed humps and some people do not. To place a speed hump, a petition needs to be circulated showing that the neighborhood supports one and agrees on a location. It then goes through a county review to see if it meets guidelines. One of the first steps to weigh is how much traffic there is on the road. To qualify there needs to be 1,500 vehicles or fewer per day.
Rumble Strips – The process for rumble strips is similar to speed humps. It takes a community petition, a location presented and county review.
Radar Feedback Signs – These are the flashing speed signs that pick up a driver’s speed and often warn that the driver is going over the speed limit. While these signs are easier to put up, they do lose their impact if overused. The placing needs to be strategic to be effective.
There are other traffic calming devices that can be used. One is to paint white lines on the side of the road a bit closer to the center. Once again, human nature comes into play. People prefer to stay within the lines. A wide road tends to encourage speeding. A narrow road discourages it.
There are a few other minor road adjustments that can also slow traffic down. However, for those determined to speed, they are not much of a deterrent. The best deterrent of all is the poor condition of a road, which we have many. Most of us can agree that is not the solution we want. We need good roads. We just don’t need speeders.
As always, don't hesitate to reach out to my office for assistance. You can reach us at 831-755-5022 or district2@countyofmonterey.gov.
Sincerely,
Glenn Church
District 2 Supervisor
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