Street committee recommends new speed limits

    The Washington Street Committee has recommended that the city change posted speed limits on East Washington Street. The committee voted 2-1 at its meeting Wednesday to raise the speed limit from 30 to 35 on East Washington Street between Seventh and 15th Avenue, while lowering it from 55 to 50 for eastbound traffic from the airport road to the Walmart entrance. Committee members Merlin Hagie and Karen Wilson-Johnson voted to recommend the changes while Bob Shepherd voted against them. The matter will now go to the city council. 

    The changes to the East Washington speed signs were proposed by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) after it had conducted a study of how fast cars drive on the street. Iowa DOT representative Frank Redeker presented the findings of the speed study to the council on March 17, and told the council members that the recommendations conform to the observed speed of motorists.

    Hagie stated that he didn?t have an issue with the DOT?s recommendations because they were based on actual speeds.

    ?It doesn?t make any difference if the sign says 20 and they?re doing 35,? he said.

    ?Yes, it does, because we can ticket them,? said Shepherd. ?Do we look at the safety of the people who are traveling that road, who live on that road, or do we say ?Oh, the people are going that fast. Make that the speed limit.??

For more, see our March 25 print edition.