He said statistics, including accident numbers, did not warrant a lower speed limit. Councilwoman Nancy Roth, D-4, said the city should review the situation again, as long as work is being done on the road. Councilman Thomas George, D-2, fought on behalf of residents last time and still favors the reduction, which he said is a standing concern for PTA's at the four schools on the street. However, he's not sure that anything has changed to convince state officials to allow the lower speed limit, so he would like to look at other steps to improve safety, such as making it a three-lane road. George said the road currently has two or four lanes, depending on who's doing the driving.
Some people do use it as a four-lane road.
McGuirk said the city is taking the speed limit request under advisement. To make a case for the reduction, there are several steps the city must take, including conducting a traffic study. The state requires a diagram of existing conditions, locations of traffic signals, traffic counts at intersections and a test run at the requested speed limit. McGuirk said that, driving at 25 mph, you should pass as many cars as pass you. Other factors considered by the state include accident surveys, speed information and the number of driveways.