FOLSOM, Calif. — Folsom feels the need — the need for adopting new and updated speed limits.
Folsom City Council met Tuesday and considered adopting speed limits for new and updated road sections.
Engineering and traffic surveys were conducted to determine new speed limits, according to Public Works Director Mark Rackovan. Surveys take into consideration collision history, speed data and roadway conditions, and encourage uniform driving behavior, he said.
The surveys were conducted on portions of the following roads:
- Folsom Lake Crossing
- White Rock Road
- Savannah Parkway
Folsom Lake Crossing
Phase 1 of a recently-completed median barrier project affected Folsom Lake Crossing between East Natoma Street and Folsom Dam Road, Rackovan said.
While its current speed limit is 55 mph, a traffic survey recommended a new speed limit of 45 mph, he said. The traffic survey did not affect the portion of the roadway from the top of the spillway down to Folsom-Auburn Road.
“That section has not changed, yet,” Rackovan said. “When we come back with our Phase 2 median barrier project, then that will afford us an opportunity to re-survey that section.”
White Rock Road
The White Rock Road portion of the Southeast Connector from Prairie City Road and East Bidwell Street was completely reengineered as a high-speed, limited-access expressway built essentially to freeway standards, Rackovan said.
Rackovan's newly proposed speed limit for the road clocked in at 60 mph.
Savannah Parkway
Savannah Parkway, between East Bidwell Street and White Rock Road, is a recently-constructed street in the Folsom Plan Area, Rackovan said.
The road never had a preexisting traffic survey, he said. Its first recommended speed limit is 35 mph.
Tracking speed
Rackovan said to figure out a road’s speed limit, a traffic survey determines its 85th percentile.
“That’s the speed that’s not exceeded by 85% of the surveyed vehicles,” he said during a presentation to council Tuesday. “Once you determine what that speed is, you round off to the nearest 5 mile-per-hour increment, and then you get one additional 5 mile-per-hour downward zoning for engineering factors.”
Traffic surveys are required for the Folsom Police Department to use radar to enforce speed limits, he said.
A second reading of the speed limit proposal will be conducted Aug. 27, and council will then have the opportunity to adopt all three speed limits.
