San Diego to lower speeds on 680 miles of streets
Slow Down, San Diego — The City Means It This Time
If you've been cruising down Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, Mira Mesa Boulevard, or Balboa Avenue at what you thought was a perfectly reasonable speed, brace yourself. San Diego is coming for your gas pedal.
The city just released its long-awaited Comprehensive Speed Management Plan, and it's no small speed bump. The plan calls for lowering speed limits on roughly 680 miles of city streets — about one-fifth of all San Diego roadways. That covers more than 1,500 individual stretches of pavement spanning neighborhoods from Pacific Beach to Carmel Valley and well beyond.
The whole thing was made possible by a 2022 state law, AB 43, which finally gave cities the flexibility to set speed limits based on actual safety data rather than how fast drivers already feel like going. Translation: San Diego is done letting reckless driving set the standard.
Areas near schools are a top priority. Speed limits in school zones could drop as low as 15 mph. Business corridors and high-injury streets are also on the list for reductions of up to 5 mph. The tragic hit-and-run death of a 6-year-old boy in Pacific Beach earlier this year gave city leaders renewed urgency to move forward.
Here's the catch — new signs don't install themselves. The city estimates it will need $2.4 million for roughly 3,000 new signs and 1,200 new poles. Installation is expected to kick off in the next fiscal year beginning July, starting near schools first.
San Diego launched its Vision Zero campaign back in 2015 with a goal of eliminating all traffic deaths. Last year, 49 people died on city streets — up from 46 when that effort began. The city acknowledges that slower speed limits alone won't get the job done. Street redesigns, traffic calming improvements, and enforcement all need to follow.
But for now, consider this your heads-up: that speed limit sign you've been casually ignoring on your morning commute might be getting a lower number soon.
Sources: FOX 5 San Diego | San Diego Union-Tribune | KPBS | NBC San Diego | Times of San Diego | Inside San Diego