CTS Webinar: Impact of Speed Limit Changes on Urban Streets

About the Event

In 2019, new Minnesota legislation began allowing cities to set lower speed limits on local streets without special approval. In February 2021, U of M researchers surveyed 33 cities within the Twin Cities metro area to determine whether they were planning speed limit changes. They identified the City of St. Louis Park, which was planning a city-wide speed limit reduction to 20 mph (with select roads at limits of 25–35 mph), and the city agreed to participate in a before-and-after study evaluating driver speeds.

In this webinar, U of M researcher Gary Davis discussed the study and its findings, which included a modest 1–2 mph reduction in mean speeds after the limits were lowered. Jack Sullivan from the City of St. Louis Park outlined the city's approach to the speed limit changes, offered perspectives on the study's findings, and discussed a two-year review of the changes that is currently under way.

The webinar was held in conjunction with a CTS Transportation Safety and Mobility Council meeting.

Speakers 

Gary Davis is a professor in the U's Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering. His research interests include causal inference and impact assessment in traffic safety, application of accident investigation and reconstruction methods to traffic engineering questions, the use of Bayesian statistical methods in traffic and transportation engineering, and the application of optimization methods to problems in traffic engineering and transportation planning.

Jack Sullivan, PE, is an engineering project manager for the City of St. Louis Park, Minnesota. He has been committed to improving the city’s built infrastructure for over 12 years, with a focus on multimodal infrastructure including bike facilities, sidewalks, trails, light rail, and Metro Transit projects. Sullivan has 22 years of civil engineering experience, with more than 17 years working for city government. 

More Information

Please contact Samantha Hahn-Douville at snhahn@umn.edu.