Guidelines for Determining Speed Limits on Municipal Roadways

Summary:

Minnesota city officials considering changes to their speed limits now have a roadmap to guide their decision process. In 2019, the Minnesota Legislature passed an update to its original speed limit statute, granting cities within the state the authority to revise statutory speed limits on their roadways without conducting tests that were formerly required. To equip these officials with information needed to change speed limits, researchers developed a series of guidelines for decision-making and implementation of speed limit changes. Investigators collected speed limit research, traffic data and collision statistics within Minnesota and across North America to discover not only how municipalities set effective speed limits, but also whether speed limit reductions change the behavior of drivers. The resulting guidelines emphasize gathering relevant data and input from different community partners, as well as clear communication to drivers and a follow-up assessment on drivers’ responses to new speed limits. As alternatives to speed limit modification, the researchers outline other strategies with proven results in lowering pedestrian and bicycle collisions.

Final Deliverables:

• Guidelines for Determining Speed Limits on Municipal Roadways (Report #2023RIC07)
• Implementation Summary: Reevaluating City Speed Limits with Public Safety in Mind (Research Summary)

Related Materials:

• Guidelines for Determining Speed Limits on Municipal Roadways  (Video/Webinar)
• CEAM Webinar: LRRB Research Results on Local Speed Limits  (Video/Webinar)
• Guidance for Cities Considering Speed Limit Changes  (Blog Post)

Related Research:

• Impact of Speed Limit Changes on Urban Streets

Project Personnel:

Principal Investigator:  Tim Arvidson

Co-Principal Investigator:  Kate Miner

Technical Liaison:  William Manchester

Project Coordinator:  Marcus Bekele

Panel Members: 
Bradley Estochen - Ramsey County
Chad Millner - City of Edina
Dillon Dombrovski - City of Rochester
Jim Johnson - City of Chisholm
Jon Halter - SEH
Kenneth Johnson - Traffic Engineering
Marcus Culver - City of Brooklyn Park
Mark Vizecky - State Aid for Local Transp
Randy Newton - City of St. Paul
Tim Plath - City of Eagan - Engineer
Victor Lund - St. Louis County Public Works - Engineer