Q: or who decides the speed limit on streets? I can't see how Kaahumanu with four wide lanes and no entry to a school gets a 25-mph limit, while Waimano Home Road and Komo Mai Drive going up Pacific Palisades, with three elementary schools and one preschool, have speed limits of 30 or 35 mph. Various standards apply
in setting speed limitsA: Various standards are used and different factors considered when posting a speed limit, said a city Department of Transportation Services official.
That includes the type of street involved and the community - businesses, homes, schools, etc. - it serves.
"They all have an input," the official said, adding that "no single one is an overwhelming factor."
Also to be considered is the reason motorists travel a street, he said: "There are two types of people who use a road - people who need access to go to school (or a specific site) and the people who just drive through. Each has a different perspective. If I had a child and I lived on a main arterial, then 15 mph is my speed. Schools, 20 mph. But if I lived on the top of the hill and am going to work on that road, hey, no way. So these are the things we have to contend with."
The official added, "It's largely a judgmental thing," noting that they do sample vehicle speeds and check street designs and abutting properties first. Speed limits also may change as an area develops, he said.
Call DTS, 523-4125, if you have any questions.
- Carbon monoxide levels in the state
- Mahalo