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SPEED ZONING
In your own neighborhood or work area, you want people
to travel at a slow to moderate speed. If you are driving
through someone else’s neighborhood or work area,
you want to be able to travel quickly and smoothly.
People have been trying to solve this problem since
the second set of prehistoric wheels rolled down the
road. This is sue is still with us today as more and
more wheels-and people and goods-need to move safely
and efficiently on our road and streets. Fortunately,
the rules of the road have kept pace with improved technology
and our growing population, and our laws for speed zones
are based upon logic and human consideration.
Speed zoning used with an overall traffic plan helps
traffic move more safely and efficiently. It does not
provide a quick fix for land use problems or poor traffic
problems; instead speed zoning attempts to establish
a reasonable balance between the needs of drivers, pedestrians,
and cyclists using public roads for travel and those
who live and work along these roads.
American law follows the basic idea that most people
are reasonable, and laws exist to control the few who
are unreasonable or inconsiderate. The posted speed
zones follow the same idea. The methods for establishing
speed zones are based upon careful studies that have
been performed in Oregon and throughout the United States.
These studies show that traffic moving at a speed
that is reasonable for the road and weather conditions
result in fewer accidents. Drivers are more patient
because a reasonably uniform speed allows progress with
less passing, less delay, and fewer rear-end collisions.
Many people believe that lowering posted
speeds will mean fewer accidents, but studies do not
prove this.
Unrealistically low speeds frustrate many
drivers, resulting in numerous speeding
violations and unsafe driving actually causing more
accidents. Some motorists may try to make time by taking
a shortcut through residential or other areas that are
not suited for higher speeds and increased number of
cars. Drivers lose respect for the law, and police and
courts are overloaded with increased traffic tickets.
State statutes give Oregon motorists the following
designated speed zone standards:
- 15 MPH Alleys
- 20 MPH Business Districts, school zones
- 25 MPH Residential Districts, public parks, ocean shores
- 55 MPH Open and rural highways; urban interstate highways,
trucks on rural highways
- 65 MPH autos on rural interstate highways
Posted speed zone signs, such as those designated
35 MPH or 45 MPH, override these standards. Designated
and posted speeds however, are not the
final word in Oregon. All travel on public streets and
highways is subject to the Basic Rule.
The Basic Rule states that motorists must drive at
a speed that is reasonable and prudent at all times
by considering other traffic, road, and weather conditions,
dangers at intersections, and any other conditions that
affect safety and speed.
The Basic Rule does not allow
motorists to drive faster than the posted
speed, nor does it set absolute speeds designated for
all conditions. Instead, the Rule expects drivers to
be responsible for their own actions.
Sudden braking
at 25 mph on ice or snow in a zone posted
at 30 mph can cause the driver to lose control of the
vehicle. In this case, the ice or snow has made the
posted speed unreasonable and so the posted speed may
still be in violation of the Basic Rule.
Who sets speed zones that limit travel to 30, 35,
40, and 45 mph, and so on? These designations are set
by human decisions and state regulations. In Oregon,
these decisions for most roads are made jointly by the
Oregon Department of Transportation and the local road
authority, the City. The Oregon Department of Transportation
has the responsibility to investigate roads at the request
of the City for speed zone changes, and to make recommendations
following established standards.
When all the studies
are completed, a report with photographs
detailing the existing conditions and proposed changes
is prepared. The report is then sent to the City for
review. The City reviews these recommendations. If the
City agrees with the recommendation, the speed zone
is established. If not, the Oregon Department of Transportation
reviews the City’s objections and any additional information,
then if possible, revises the recommendation. If no
agreement can be reached, the speed zone decision is
referred to a hearings panel that reviews the information
and receives testimony from interested parties.
The
final decision is then made by the hearings
panel. The panel has five members including representatives
from the Transportation Safety Committee, the Oregon
State Police, the Association of Oregon Counties, the
League of Oregon Cities, and the Department of Transportation.
All of the following considerations are evaluated
in deciding whether to propose a change or retain the
posted speed zone: accident history, roadway widths,
surface type, number of lanes, shoulders, traffic control
(signals and stop signs), number of intersections and
other accesses, extent of roadside development, and
other conditions such as allowed parking and bicycle
lanes.
Additionally, tests are conducted that provide
information such as the number and type
of vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists using the road.
Radar is used to perform spot speed checks, recording
the speed of at least 75 vehicles in each travel direction.
Recognizing that most of us are generally safe drivers,
the speed at or below which 85 percent of the drivers
travel is one nationally recognized factor proven by
repeated studies as a fair and objective indication
of safe and reasonable speeds.
For more information, please contact the City of Hillsboro
Engineering Division at (503) 681-6146.
OTHER INFORMATION SERIES TOPICS Additional
information series brochures are also available
through the City of Hillsboro Engineering Division on
the following topics:
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