REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL October 15, 2020 FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director Public Works Department THROUGH: ANDREW J. BENELLI, PE, City Engineer/Assistant Director Public Works Department BY: JILL M. GORMLEY, TE, City Traffic Engineer/Traffic Operations & Planning Manager Public Works Department SUBJECT ...Title BILL - (For introduction) Amending the uncodified ordinance to adopt changes and additions to the official list of designated special speed zones for various streets within the City of Fresno pursuant to Section 14-1501 of the Fresno Municipal Code (Citywide) ...Body RECOMMENDATIONS Staff recommends that the attached Special Speed Zone Ordinance be introduced at this time, prior to the final adoption at the next scheduled meeting of the City Council. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to introduce an amended Ordinance to update the official list of designated special speed zones pursuant to Section 14-1501 of the Fresno Municipal Code (FMC). The update is to reflect speed changes and additions which have been made due to development, increased traffic volumes, annexations, locations left off of previous ordinance and construction of new streets and various locations in the City of Fresno. Engineering and traffic surveys have been completed for each speed zone listed, in order to determine speed limits which are "reasonable and safe" as defined in accordance with the requirements of the California Vehicle Code (CVC). BACKGROUND The CVC authorizes local authorities to determine and regulate speed limits on streets under local jurisdiction, subject to certain requirements. Pursuant to CVC Sections 22357 and 22358, speed limits may be adopted in five (5) miles per hour (mph) increments ranging from 25 mph to 65 mph, and must be justified on the basis of engineering and traffic surveys. At the local level, FMC Section 14-1501 provides for an Official List of Special Speed Zones to be kept in the form of an uncodified ordinance. For this reason, it is not necessary to amend the FMC itself each time speed zones are changed or added. A comprehensive speed zone ordinance was adopted by Council on February 1, 1965, and minor updates were made on July 26, 2005, August 29, 2006, September 18, 2007, July 22, 2008, September 30, 2010, September 22, 2011, March 7, 2013, August 28, 2014, August 21, 2016, September 28, 2017,September 27, 2018, and September 26, 2019. This amendment (or regular update) is relatively minor in scope. The updated list includes posting 20 previously "unposted" and/or newly constructed segments of roadway, lowering the speed limit on 26 segments of roadway and listing one (1) segment omitted from previous Speed Ordinances. Engineering and traffic surveys in compliance with CVC requirements were completed for each zone listed. The chart below summarizes the proposed speed limit changes and additions: STREET FROM TO PREVIOUS SPEED LIMIT RECOMMENDED SPEED LIMIT Fulton Ventura Inyo 30 MPH 25 MPH Fulton Inyo Tuolumne NP 25 MPH Hamilton Chestnut Winery NP 25 MPH R Street Fresno Tulare 30 MPH 25 MPH San Pablo Nees El Paso 30 MPH 25 MPH Sierra Cedar Maple NP 25 MPH Van Ness Tulare Fresno 30 MPH 25 MPH Warner First Herndon S. Frontage Road NP 25 MPH Winery Hamilton Butler NP 25 MPH Beechwood Brawley Valentine NP 30 MPH Brawley Herndon Locust NP 30 MPH California Walnut Fruit 35 MPH 30 MPH Eastshore Westshore Lakeshore 35 MPH 30 MPH Fancher Creek Fowler Armstrong *** 30 MPH Maple Copper Copper River 35 MPH 30 MPH Saddleback Dakota Shields NP 30 MPH San Pablo Olive Belmont 35 MPH 30 MPH Spruce Van Ness Marks 35 MPH 30 MPH Thorne Nielsen Belmont 35 MPH 30 MPH Westshore Lakeshore Eastshore 35 MPH 30 MPH Ashlan Maroa Fresno 40 MPH 35 MPH Blackstone Herndon Friant 40 MPH 35 MPH First Olive McKinley 40 MPH 35 MPH Forkner Shaw Warner 40 MPH 35 MPH Friant Fresno Blackstone 40 MPH 35 MPH Peach Butler Kings Canyon 40 MPH 35 MPH Shields Cedar Maple 40 MPH 35 MPH Van Ness Alluvial River Bottom 40 MPH 35 MPH Ashlan Blythe Polk 45 MPH 40 MPH Blackstone Bullard Herndon 45 MPH 40 MPH Gettysburg Hayes Bryan *** 40 MPH Maple Perrin Plymouth NP 40 MPH Maple Shepherd Perrin 45 MPH 40 MPH Orange SR 99 Railroad 45 MPH 40 MPH Perrin Willow Sommerville 45 MPH 40 MPH Ashlan Polk Grantland 50 MPH 45 MPH Ashlan SR 168 Chestnut 50 MPH 45 MPH Armstrong Olive Clinton NP 45 MPH Blackstone Eaton Trail Madera County Line NP 45 MPH Brawley Clinton McKinley 45 MPH1 45 MPH Dakota Peach Lind NP 45 MPH Temperance Kings Canyon California NP 45 MPH West Jensen California NP 45 MPH Temperance Church California NP 50 MPH Walnut Annadale North NP 50 MPH California Hughes Marks NP 55 MPH West Jensen North NP 55 MPH NP = Speed limit "not posted" MPH = miles per hour 1= Not included in previous updates *** = newly constructed roadway segments ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS This is not a "project" for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378, as updating the Speed Zone Ordinance will not result in direct or indirect physical changes to the environment. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference does not apply because updating the Special Speed Zone Ordinance does not include a bid or an award of a construction or services contract. FISCAL IMPACT No fiscal impact will occur as a result of updating the Special Speed Zone Ordinance. Maintenance and replacement of traffic signs is a regular budgeted expense which will not change as a result of this update. Attachment: Amended Ordinance Proposed Speed Limit Changes & Additions - 2020