October 22, 2020 - ROCHESTER, MINN. – The Public Works Department has proposed a Safe Systems approach for determining the speed limits on city-owned streets in the City of Rochester. This approach keeps safety for all road users as the foremost goal and allows engineers to make decisions about speed, infrastructure, parking and maintenance that both meet the needs of the community and advance work towards zero deaths.

Vehicle speed at the time of impact directly correlates to whether a person will live or die. Reducing speed limits on streets where people walk, bike and play will help prevent severe injuries and death. A person hit by a car traveling at 40 miles per hour is five times more likely to die than a person hit by a car traveling at 20 miles per hour.

A growing body of research shows that speed limit changes alone can lead to measurable declines in speeds and crashes on city streets, even without increased enforcement or engineering changes. The City Engineer and Traffic Engineer, based on a Safe Systems approach that included a Speed Limit Study, have recommended a city-wide speed limit of 20 mph on local streets and within the Central Business district, unless otherwise signed.

City Engineer Dillon Dombrovski shares, “Slower speeds on roads are safer for all users, including motorists. Slower speeds also promote neighborhood vitality and livability. With speeds of 20 mph on local streets, drivers are trading 15-30 seconds of travel time for a safer, more livable neighborhood.”

More information about the Safe Systems approach, including an interactive map showing the proposed speed limit for all streets in town, and a survey for feedback is now closed. 

The proposed change does not mean that every city-owned street will be 20 mph. For example, roads such as Elton Hills Drive, 37 Street NW, and Broadway Avenue outside of the business district will remain their current posted speed. Speed limit signs will be posted where the speed limit is something different than 20mph. Additionally, these changes only apply to city-owned streets. Speed limits on county and state owned roads such as East Circle Drive, West Circle Drive and Marion Road are not proposed to change.

Nearly every local street in Rochester is less than 0.5 miles from a road with a proposed speed limit of 25mph or higher. The proposed 20 mph speed limits would add approximately 15-30 seconds of travel time in reaching a road with a faster speed limit. (Traveling 1/2 mile takes: 1 minute and 30 seconds at 20pmh; 1 minute and 12 seconds at 25mph, and 1 minute at 30 mph.) 

The City Council will continue the discussion on this topic during the November 16, 2020 Study Session. The topic was first brought before council after a 2019 change in State legislation that granted cities the authority to set speed limits on streets under their jurisdiction. Rochester City Council directed Public Works staff to prepare an ordinance giving authority to the City Engineer to set speed limits on City streets, as well as a policy for using a Safe Systems approach for setting speed limits.

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