St. Paul plans to put the brakes on five busy streets in hopes of improving safety for bicyclists, pedestrians and drivers.
On Wednesday, the City Council voted unanimously to drop speed limits from 35 to 30 miles an hour by designating these "Urban Districts," which included sections of Wabasha Street, Cretin Avenue N. and other busy thoroughfares.
The city has notified the Minnesota Department of Transportation and, barring objections, will implement the slower speeds. The exact date is not immediately known, said Lisa Hiebert, a spokeswoman for the St. Paul Public Works Department.
Reducing speeds on heavily traveled routes through neighborhoods has been an objective of the St. Paul Bike Coalition, said its co-chair Andy Singer. Neighborhood groups such as the Union Park District Council also have been pushing for slower speed limits in hopes of reducing the number of injuries from motor vehicle crashes involving bicyclists and pedestrians.
From January through May 26, there have been 67 crashes involving vehicles and pedestrians, resulting in one death and 59 injuries in St. Paul. Crashes involving bicyclists accounted for one death and 12 injuries, city statistics show.
"We see this as a great benefit," said Sean Ryan, a resident of the Union Park District and co-chairman of the district's transportation committee. "The amount of time drivers will save driving 5 miles per hour faster for four blocks is minuscule."
Bill Lindeke, chairman of the St. Paul Planning Commission Transportation Committee and a bicycling enthusiast, said efforts have been underway for years to change driver behavior and bring speeds down.
"Somebody is hit by a car every other day," he said. "This is a good first step, but there is more to do. A speed limit is only good if people follow it."
