BEVERLY HILLS—Starting Thursday, October 1, the city of Beverly Hills revealed it will begin implementing a new ordinance that establishes lower speed limits on select streets throughout the city. The change comes after an in-depth assessment by a city-hired consulting firm that analyzed data from streets that are routinely reviewed as part of the State mandated Engineering and Traffic Survey (E&TS), as well as new legislation regarding setting speed limits.
Under State law, cities previously had to set speed limits based solely on the speed at which most drivers were traveling, which was impacted due to excessive speeding. Enacted in 2022, Assembly Bill (AB) 43 now gives cities the flexibility to consider criteria such as crash history and adjacent land use when setting speed limits.
Cities can reduce default speed limits in ‘Business Activity Districts’ from 25 MPH to 20 MPH. These changes help cities maintain speed limits at levels appropriate for street conditions and operational needs.
“Reducing our speed limits in key corridors throughout Beverly Hills will help ensure the safety of motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists,” said Beverly Hills Mayor Craig Corman. “These new, updated limits should lead to fewer vehicle and pedestrian crashes, making our City more enjoyable to walk and travel through.”
Data from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) shows that a person hit by a car traveling at 35 MPH is five times more likely to die than a person hit by a car traveling at 20 MPH and that a 1 MPH reduction in vehicle operating speeds can result in a 17 percent drop in fatal crashes. Speed limits will become enforceable once new signs are posted throughout the next several weeks.
By Dany Jones