Legislators seek to lower speeds on city’s streets
Two bills in the state Legislature could lower San Antonio’s default speed limit from 30 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour on any urban street.
Area officials who support the idea point to last year’s record traffic fatalities, which increased over 2019 even though there were fewer vehicles on the roads because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“With residential streets often full of children playing and neighbors outside, lower vehicle speeds can make a positive impact here,” said Greg Reininger, the principal transportation planner for the city’s Public Works Department.
About a dozen of the 156 traffic fatalities in 2020 were the result of crashes on streets with 30 mph speed limits, he said.
The first bill, filed by state Rep. Celia Israel, Daustin, would reduce the default speed limit to 25 miles per hour in residential neighborhoods. The default speed for other streets would stay at 30 miles per hour.
State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-laredo, filed the second bill that would reduce the speed limit to 25 mph for urban streets only in cities with more than 950,000 people. That means San Antonio, Houston, Austin and Dallas.
“Protecting drivers and pedestrians has long been one of my legislative priorities, and this bill equips local officials with an additional tool to keep their residents safe,” Zaffirini said. “It has been more than 20 years since Texas had a single day without a traffic fatality. I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues to develop
solutions trend.”
Some smaller Texas cities were against the bill the last time it was proposed in the Legislature, said Jeff Coyle, the city’s government and public affairs director. The bigger cities supported the measure.
But a map of the city limits of San Antonio, observers note, looks like a slice of Swiss cheese: the holes are the suburban cities. Alamo Heights, Windcrest, Leon Valley and others wouldn’t be affected by Zaffirini’s bill.
In both bills, the speed limit adjustments would apply to areas where there aren’t any posted speed limit signs.
Despite fewer people being on the road in 2020, San Antonio saw an increase in fatal crashes.
“There weren’t as many vehicles on the roadway because of the pandemic,” said Bianca Thorpe, the capital programs manager in the city’s Public Works Department, at a Transportation and Mobility Committee meeting Tuesday. And other cities saw similar trends in 2020.
Officials said 156 San Antonians died as the result of a crash in 2020, eight more than in 2019.
Half of those fatalities were other drivers, while 61 of those were pedestrians, 16 were motorcyclists and one was on a bicycle.
One of the San Antonio City Council’s legislative priorities is enhancing traffic safety and supporting safety initiatives.
If the city wanted to lower the speed limit on its own, it still has the power to do so. But it would require putting up a lot of speed limit signs, including some at every entry point into city limits, Thorpe said.
“It is within our authority, but there are costs,” Coyle noted.
If the state passes either one of the bills, the city would still have to change out signs, but even in streets without signs, the default speed limit would apply.
“You don’t have to sign everywhere, it’s automatic,” Coyle said. to reverse that