LOS ANGELES (KNX) — The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to approve a proposal from the L.A. Department of Transportation that would reduce speeds on a number of city streets by five miles per hour.
LADOT has recommended speed limit reductions for 177.2 miles of city streets, which includes 77 street segments.
The proposal was advanced by the City Council's Transportation Committee on Feb. 15, according to City News Service. The council unanimously adopted an ordinance Tuesday amending the Los Angeles Municipal Code to change the speed limits on the proposed streets.
The measure aims to prevent deadly accidents in the city and was made possible following the recent passing of Assembly Bill 43, which gives cities local control over their speed limits.
The ordinance next needs to be approved by Mayor Eric Garcetti, who
previously expressed support for the change, according to CNS. Once approved, the ordinance will take effect a month after its publication.
“I am thrilled to be able to restore saner speed limits to 177 miles of city streets,” said Councilman Mike Bonin, who chairs the committee, said last week.
Before AB 43 went into effect, LADOT was required to increase speeds on 200 miles of the city’s streets. The department claims a pedestrian hit by a vehicle going 20 mph has a 90 percent chance of surviving, as opposed to only 10 percent if a vehicle is going twice as fast at 40 mph.
The department hopes that lowering speeds will decrease the severity of injuries, as well as give drivers more time to react to a potential collision, according to CNS.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our residents and every single decision we make prioritizes their well-being,” Garcetti said. “We've fought for the ability to lower our speed limits for years, and this proposal will help make our streets safer for everyone who uses them.”
You can find the list of all the streets in the proposal here.
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