City of Tacoma press release.
At its August 2 meeting, the Tacoma City Council passed Ordinance No. 28825, which lowers the default speed limit on residential streets from 25 miles per hour to 20 miles per hour. This ordinance also lowers the speed limit from 30 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour on arterial streets in four Neighborhood Business Districts, including 6th Avenue, Lincoln, McKinley Hill, and Old Town.
“I’m so proud to see the City take this important first step towards keeping people on our streets safe,” said Council Member Kristina Walker. “The link between speed and injury severity in crashes is consistent, direct, and especially critical for more vulnerable roadway users. With tonight’s action, coupled with other actions in our Vision Zero Action Plan, our goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2035 is in sight.”
The new speed limits will go into effect in January 2023. The City will implement a comprehensive outreach campaign to inform the community about the new speed limits. There will be a grace period between the time when the law goes into effect and when enforcement begins.
In February 2020, the Tacoma City Council adopted Resolution No. 40559, committing to Vision Zero and the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2035. Speed reduction is one proven strategy to eliminate fatal and serious injury crashes as part of Vision Zero. Lowering speeds improves safety by reducing the frequency and severity of crashes, improves visibility, provides additional time for drivers to stop, and reduces the potential for fatal or serious injuries by lowering impact forces. Click here to view the Speed Limit Reduction Factsheet.
To find out more about speed limit reduction and Vision Zero, visit cityoftacoma.org/visionzero, or contact Senior Transportation Planner Carrie Wilhelme at (253) 591-5560 or email cwilhelme@cityoftacoma.org.
I am sure this will stop speeders, not. All this does is require law abiding, responsible drivers to loose more sleep. Have to leave for work 20% sooner on the way to earn a living. The law abiding public needs to get these slave owners out of any position to punish their victims.
Tacoma has proven a rich history of following laws and edicts. I’m sure this is not motivated by revenue.
Wait! They eliminate 100 police positions, then they woke the department no one wants to work in Tacoma, can anyone explain who will enforce in the Lincoln District? Sure Proctor District will be fine, East Side, Hilltop not so much!
Sad they didn’t put my street on there dream sheet ( North Vassault) because the average speed is 45mph in a posted 30mph zone, & during certain madness moments, the Ricky racers come flying up and down this street going between 80 to a 100plus mph, this has been documented by the city’s strip machines, sooooo your summer 2022 speed investigation wasn’t very good, we even have a signed document from at least 150 residents protesting these speeders that was sent to the city council, eh, no enforcement yet, that was at least 2020 or earlier when it was done.
I’m sure our growing vagrant poulation will be in full compliance, as they propel their unlicensed, uninsured, death traps down city streets while slapping hallucinations away from their face.
That is, when they are not stepping randomly into traffic.
Do gooder elected officials once again showing they have no capacity to do anything positive just punitive. let’s punish the public. this will be a great way to increase revenue for some pie in the sky ideal about zero anything is pathetic and will just slow everybody down to basically the same speed as the guys on bicycles. This is reason 4,293 not to ever go near Tacoma
Yet another case of government letting the exception rule rather than ruling by exception. So we have speeders who are the exception so let’s lower the speed limit on all the rest of us who don’t speed? Is that the solution proposed? Why not instead go after and prosecute those who speed and leave the speed limits as set for the rest of us who don’t? This is how government “solves” problems whether it be gun control, COVID masks, COVID business shut down, COVID school shut down, vaccination, etc. etc. etc. Got a problem? Apply a “solution” to those who aren’t the problem. Sheesh! Maybe if we reduce the speed limit to 10mph………..