St. Paul is studying whether to lower speed limits on residential streets to 20 or 25 mph, among other changes that could affect lead-footed drivers.
On Wednesday, the St. Paul City Council introduced an ordinance that would allow the city engineer to set city speed limits on a broad basis, without street-by-street consultation with the council. A public hearing is likely Oct. 16, with a final vote Oct. 23.
The ordinance, sponsored by all seven council members, says the city engineer may establish speed limits for city streets according to the process outlined by the Legislature in the last legislative session, which includes a technical analysis of crash data, speed studies and other considerations. St. Paul plans to consult with neighboring cities and counties to determine their plans, and then roll out new speed limits within a year.
St. Paul Public Works will host an informational session about the technical analysis from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Rondo Community Library, 461 N. Dale St.
By state statute, the speed limit on most urban, residential streets defaults to 30 mph.