Speed trap or public safety? Here’s why some Boise roads got lower speed limits
A move by the Ada County Highway District to lower speed limits on certain local roads has riled up some residents.
ACHD said the changes, which reduced speeds by 5 to 10 miles per hour on 12 local roads since October, were largely driven by comments from the community and are intended to improve safety for users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
“This really is a positive thing. ... While there are some who may not agree and don’t like to drive slower speeds, ACHD is really trying to take care of all individuals, so everyone can get to their home safely,” said Ryan Head, ACHD’s deputy director of development and technical services, in a phone interview with the Idaho Statesman.
The changes have mostly stemmed from public comments, though Head said ACHD won’t simply change a sign because someone complains. The responses Head has seen have been split between supporters and opponents, he said.
The “standard practice” to decide whether to adjust a speed limit is to conduct a week-long speed study that compares how fast people actually drive to the speed limit. Idaho code also allows a change based on the “land use context” — if there’s a nearby school or park, for example, Head said.
But the code states that “any alteration of speed limits must be based upon a traffic engineering study,” and Head said some limits were reduced without doing a speed study first. On Fort Street, there was no speed study. Rather, ACHD said the speed limit lowered because of the presence of schools and street parking.
Robert Rangel, a 72-year-old retired probation officer, lives near Goddard Road, where ACHD lowered the speed limit from 30 to 25 mph between Glenwood Street and Maple Grove Road in December. Rangel said the switch was “arbitrary” and has not reduced speeding. “Nobody drives 25,” he said.
It’s also created a speed trap, he said, and Boise police now lurk in the parking lot of the Latter-Day Saints church on Goddard, giving tickets to car after car.
Boise police spokesperson Haley Kramer said in an email that ACHD speed reductions do not always lead to more enforcement. Officers often choose education over tickets.
But others are grateful for the lower speed limits.
Lorrie Suess, 70, a retired nurse, said the Boise Avenue reduction from 35 to 30 mph was “long overdue” because the street runs through a residential neighborhood.
Nina Pienaar, director of bicycle advocacy for the Boise Bicycle Project, told the Statesman the lower speed limits give pedestrians and cyclists more time to safely cross the road and reduce the potential of accidents.
“It creates a safer and more friendly environment,” Pienaar said.
Here are the changes to speed limits and their locations, according to ACHD spokesperson Rachel Bjornestad:
Warm Springs Avenue, from Broadway Avenue to Old Penitentiary Road — from 30 to 25 mph
Amity Road, Eagle Road to Locust Grove Road — from 50 to 45 mph
Mountain View Road, from Glenwood Street to Cole Road — from 30 to 25 mph
Goddard Road, Glenwood Street to Maple Grove Road — from 30 to 25 mph
Collister Drive, Hill Road to State Street — from 30 to 25 mph
Palmer Lane, State Street to Floating Feather Road — from 45 to 40 mph
Pierce Park Lane, Hill Road to State Street — from 35 to 25 mph
Castle Drive/Hill Road, Pierce Park to Collister — from 30 to 25 mph
Victory Road, Kentucky Way to Linder Road — from 45 to 40 mph
Amity Road, Meridian Road to Pratt Lane — from 50 to 45 mph
Boise Avenue, Law Avenue to Eckert Road — from 35 to 30 mph
Fort Street, 16th Street to Avenue B — from 30 to 25 mph
This story was originally published June 16, 2023 at 3:24 PM.
