LA Committee advances proposed 15 mph zones around 201 schools

A Los Angeles City Council committee advanced a proposal Wednesday to install new signs limiting vehicular speed on 343 streets surrounding 201 schools as part of continued efforts to improve safety for students.

The three-member Transportation Committee unanimously approved a resolution, authorizing staff to implement 15 mph speed limits at pre-designated areas. The matter will come before City Council at a future meeting for a vote.

According to a representative for the department, the signs should be installed by the end of the fiscal year -- within about six to 10 weeks, with $750,000 allocated for the project.

Under California code, a local authority can by ordinance or resolution set a speed limit near a school that is lower than the speed limit in the surrounding neighborhood.

While the school zone speed limit is 25 mph, the state's regulations allow for 15 mph school zones on streets that meet specific criteria, according to the Department of Transportation. The reduced speed limit only applies while children are attending or leaving school.

The city's efforts are being guided by DOT's Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan, launched in 2012 to implement data-driven processes and improve safety around campuses. Department staff and Los Angeles Unified School District officials developed a methodology to identify schools in need.

“Reduced school speed zones are one of the available tools LADOT can implement to accomplish the safety goals in this strategic plan,” Caitlin Powell, central district transportation engineer, stated during the meeting. 

According to the LADOT 2021-2023 Strategic Plan, 41% of traffic collision victims are Latinos.

In 2016, city officials established 15 mph school zone speed limits at 11 of the top 50 LAUSD schools in critical need of such safety treatments. By August 2023, another 98 street segments adjacent to 44 schools, including any of the remaining top 50 schools, were provided with updated school zone speed limits.

Mayor Karen Bass' adopted 2023-24 budget expanded funding for more school safety measures for another 201 schools.

Several of the streets are found on the city's High Injury Network, which identifies corridors with a high concentration of collisions that result in severe injuries and deaths, as well those involving pedestrians and cyclists.

An analysis found that more than 65% of all citywide severe and fatal traffic collisions involving people walking occurred on 6% of city streets. Traffic collisions were also the leading cause of death for children ages 2 to 14.

Nearly 56% of all fatal and injury collisions occurred within one- quarter mile of a school, according to DOT.

Some of the schools being considered for the 15 mph speed zones include Alliance College-ready Middle School Academy 5, Los Angeles Leadership Primary Academy, Figueroa Elementary School, USC Hybrid High School and more public and private schools throughout Highland Park, Lincoln Heights, South L.A., Sylmar, Panorama City, Pacoima, Wilmington and more. 

Additional reporting by City News Service.