Tempe might lower its speed limits on some city streets. Here's why

Tempe may require drivers to slow down on city streets by reducing speed limits, something staffers say is necessary to do away with limits that abruptly change on certain roads and to update outdated speed guidelines on roads that aren’t used as they were in the past.

The changes wouldn’t be particularly drastic. They would affect just five roadways and only one of those would see a speed limit change of more than 5 mph, but Tempe’s Principal Civil Engineer Catherine Hollow said it’s a long-needed update to outdated speed rules.

“This is not a strategy to reduce high speeds. This is taking a look at how the roadway function has changed over time … (we’re) really trying to right-size the speeds to match what is happening,” she said.

Hollow laid out her proposed speed limited changes at the May 2 City Council meeting. The streets that might see a reduction include:

• The north end of Mill Avenue: Staffers want to reduce the speed on Mill between North Project Drive and East Curry Road to 35 mph from 45 mph so that it matches the speed limit over the bridge.

• Mill Avenue from East University Drive and East Broadway Road: Just south of the Mill Avenue bridge, the city wants to bring the speed limit down to 30 mph from 35 mph.

• College Avenue: Tempe wants to make another 30 mph from 35 mph change from where College Avenue meets East Curry Road just north of Town Lake, to the city’s northernmost boundary at College and East Continental Drive.

• First Street: The city is considering a third drop to 30 mph from 35 mph from where First Street intersects with Ash Avenue, to First Street’s westernmost edge near Priest Drive and the Arizona Coyotes’ former project site.

• Southern Avenue: The proposed change on Southern would decrease the speed limit to 40 mph from 45 mph on that road between the railroad tracks and 48th Street. That tweak would make the speed limit on Southern consistent throughout the city.

Mill Avenue, one of Tempe’s most well-known and historically significant roadways, is a prime example of the out-of-date speed limits that exist on some city streets today.

It used to be a state highway but is now an urban street that runs through some of Tempe’s most well-visited entertainment hubs. It’s often flooded with Arizona State University students and is frequently packed with partiers on weekend nights.

“Certainly the function of the road has changed quite a bit,” said Hollow, who said Mill Avenue at most is now a “minor arterial street,” which is an urban road that connects drivers to a highway.

And the speed limit on Mill Avenue is all over the place. The limit changes from 45 mph north of Town Lake, to 35 mph on the bridge, and then again to 30 mph as you begin to approach downtown Tempe — all of which happens in just over a half-mile, or about every 1,100 feet.

“The primary reason for these changes is consistency,” City Councilmember Arlene Chin said. “I think it’s awfully confusing and can be dangerous when we have two different speed limits posted within maybe a quarter-mile, (and) our roads are used differently now.”

The same is true for the other roadways where changes are being considered.

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Hollow said, “Before Loop 101 went in, College Avenue served as a major connection from East Curry Road to the north.”

She explained that “it’s now kind of a minor” road that is used to get drivers from neighborhood streets to main streets.

First Street ends at a cul-de-sac in front of what Hollow called a “new building,” instead of connecting to Rio Salado Parkway as it once did. Before Rio Salado Parkway was built, “First Street had a more prominent role in the area’s street system,” Hollow explained, adding that “the character of this road has changed.”

Southern Avenue is the only true arterial street, or main road to a highway, that might soon get a speed limit change. It used to be one of the primary routes between Tempe and Phoenix, but U.S. Route 60 “took some of that traffic,” Hollow said.

The speed limit changes were well-received by city officials who saw them primarily as a safety issue.

“I think we need to look at slowing people down all over because it really could save lives,” said Councilmember Jennifer Adams, who was one of the main proponents of Tempe’s “Operation Slow Down,” which required police officers to ticket speeders rather than issuing warnings from January to March.

Councilmember Berdetta Hodge echoed Adams’ point, saying, "When we slow down, it causes fewer accidents. Fewer chances of death or serious accidents.”

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City Councilmember Doreen Garlid said Hollow’s strategy of looking at roads that have had a “character change” was “a really smart way for us to look at the safety of the roads in our community,”

She added that, “I look at this as a safety issue for cyclists, walkers, drivers on the road … Being more consistent will make people pay more attention and make it safer on the road.”

Hollow said this will be just the beginning of speed adjustments on Tempe roads. She said the city would make this into a larger effort and look at pieces of its roadway at a time.

For now, the city will have two public hearings on the proposed speed limit changes. The first will be a Zoom meeting at noon on Tuesday, May 15. The second will be in-person at 6 p.m. on the same day, at the Tempe Public Library.

City Council members were expected to consider the final draft plan June 20.

Reporter Sam Kmack covers Tempe, Scottsdale and Chandler. Follow him on X @KmackSam or reach him at sam.kmack@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tempe might lower its speed limits on some city streets. Here's why