Dallas City Council may consider lowering neighborhood speed limits to 25 miles per hour
DALLAS - A recent memo to Dallas City Council members explores the possibility of reducing the speed limits from 30 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour in neighborhoods.
The memo says the change could significantly reduce the number of people killed or severely injured on Dallas roadways.
In the past decade, more than 1,000 people have died in crashes on Dallas neighborhood streets.
Now, Dallas leaders say even just a five-mile-per-hour reduction could save lives.
Neighborhood streets where people walk their dogs, get fresh air exercise nd go to and from school can sometimes feel unsafe.
"Sometimes, these cars tend to go over the speed limit. It is safer to go on the side," said Dallas resident Stanley Rivera.
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It's why cities like New York, Boston, Seattle, and Tacoma reduced the speed in neighborhoods from 30 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour.
Now, Dallas is exploring that possibility as part of a national campaign called Vision Zero. The goal is to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2030.
Dallas City Councilman Chad West is a proponent of Vision Zero but was disappointed to hear that full implementation could cost a lofty $3 billion.
"It's the first time we've seen staff's estimation of a budget that it would take to get this done," he said.
But West says the neighborhood speed limit portion of the plan could be an affordable option to start with.
"If we've seen a correlation between reducing the speeds in other cities and more safe driving and less injuries, why would we not consider it?" he said.
As part of the Vision Zero initiative, traffic fatalities in Seattle decreased by 26% in part due to reduced neighborhood speeds of 25 and 20 miles per hour.
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New York saw a 39% decrease in total crashes when its default citywide speed limit was lowered from 30 to 25 miles per hour.
While Dallas residents like Don Wilkins like the idea, he says the limit alone is just one part of the equation.
"The question is enforcement are they really going to enforce it?" he said.
Councilman West said that according to the city attorney, the city has the authority to lower neighborhood speed limits without going through state lawmakers.
West says the city council will likely be revisiting Vision Zero during budget talks that start next month.