The Santa Monica City Council Unanimously Approved the Speed Limit Recommendations in August 2024, and the Department of Transportation Has Since Been Updating Signage Corridor by Corridor
Santa Monica is reducing speed limits across the city as part of a broader effort to improve roadway safety for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. The changes, which stem from recommendations in the city’s 2024 Engineering and Traffic Survey, are enabled by California Assembly Bill 43. The legislation grants local governments greater flexibility in determining speed limits, including the ability to round them down based on surveyed safe speeds.
According to a blog post authored by City Traffic Engineer Mia Silver, the new regulations allow cities to adopt speed limits that better reflect safety conditions without significantly affecting travel times. For example, if a survey determines the safe speed for a street is 37 mph, the city can set the limit at 35 mph instead of rounding up to 40 mph.
Silver’s post indicates that some updates have already been completed, such as the reduction on Neilson Way between Pico Boulevard and Marine Street to 25 mph. Other roadways, including Main Street and Ocean Avenue, are currently undergoing changes, while additional streets are scheduled for updates in the coming weeks. The entire initiative is expected to be finished by February 2025.
The Santa Monica City Council unanimously approved the speed limit recommendations in August 2024, and the Department of Transportation has since been updating signage corridor by corridor. The project will involve replacing 150 speed limit signs across 33 miles of roadway, with most speed limits reduced by five miles per hour.
