By Rylie Friesen–
Speed limits at four locations in Citrus Heights officially increased by five miles per hour on Monday, along with a drop in the speed limit on one section of roadway.
The speed limit changes were adopted by the City Council in October, following a recommendation by the Police Department and the city’s top engineer.
City Engineer Leslie Blomquist said speed limits in several areas needed to be raised in order to avoid being considered a “speed trap.” Speeding tickets issued under “speed trap” conditions are inadmissible in court.
The California Vehicle Code defines a speed trap being when a speed limit “is not justified by an engineering and traffic survey within five years, and the enforcement of the speed limit involves the use of [lidar] that measures the speed of moving objects.” The vehicle code also requires that speeds be set at or near “the 85th percentile speed,” referring to the actual speed 85% of drivers travel at or below under normal conditions.
The requirements only apply if police are using radar or Lidar equipment for enforcement, but police say such tools are needed for enforcement.
“We’re really doing this so we can utilize enforcement in our toolbox for traffic safety,” said Blomquist in a Facebook Live presentation last week.
“It is counter-intuitive that we have to raise the posted speed limit, but the goal is to be in compliance with the law so that [police] can do their job” said Blomquist, answering a resident question during the presentation.
Traffic officer Emily Lombardo, who also participated in the city’s Facebook Live session, said police in Citrus Heights prefer to use Lidar for enforcement.
“We like to use it because it pinpoints vehicles, whether they are solo or in a pack of vehicles,” she said. “If we have a clear line of sight we can pinpoint those vehicles up to about 2,000 feet.”
Lidar is also preferred in areas where speeding is the primary collision factor, which is true for the entire City of Citrus Heights, Lombardo said.
Because the speed limit has increased, rather that decreased, there is no “grace period” for speed violations.
To measure the 85th percentile free-flow traffic speed, data is collected by measuring the speed of traveling vehicles under normal conditions. Data is required not to be influenced by anything other than the roadway itself — this includes construction, law enforcement presence or the perception of law enforcement, and weather. Staff said all data was collected before COVID-19.
One section of roadway on Fountain Square Drive saw its speed limit decreased, due to high collision rates and speed measurements showing traffic already flowing at speeds close to the posted speed limit.
The following street sections are affected by the changes:
Antelope Road, from I-80 to Auburn Blvd. The speed limit has been increased to 45 MPH, up from 40 MPH. The 85th percentile speed was measured at 51 MPH, but staff recommended a speed 5 MPH lower due to the collision rate being 237% higher than expected for the road.
Antelope Road, from Auburn Blvd to Sunrise Blvd. The speed limit has been increased to 45 MPH, up from 40 MPH. The 85th percentile speed was measured at 50 MPH, but staff recommended a speed 5 MPH lower due to a collision rate being 165% higher than expected for the road.
Old Auburn Road, from Fair Oaks Blvd to the Northeastern City Limits. The speed limit has been increased to 40 MPH, up from 35 MPH. The 85th percentile speed was measured at 43 MPH and was rounded down.
Sunrise Blvd, from Antelope Rd. to the Northern City Limits. The speed limit has been increased to 45 MPH, up from 40 MPH. The 85th percentile was measured at 49 MPH, but staff recommended a speed 5 MPH lower due to the collision rate being 121% higher than expected for the roadway.
Fountain Square Drive, from Greenback Ln. to Stock Ranch Rd. The speed limit was 30 MPH, but has been reduced to 25 MPH, due to a collision rate being 265% higher than expected for the roadway.
More information can be found at: citrusheights.net/speedlimits
