Tuesday, May 01, 2007

After three young people were killed April 3 in a traffic crash on Colima Street in Whittier city, CA, city officials made plans to install a solar-powered speed trailer on this road. The city officials said that this $10,000 sign should be installed within 10 weeks.
At the same time starting Monday the speed-limit along Colima between the area just north of Mar Vista to the city limits near Hacienda Heights has changed from 45 mph to 55 mph.
It may seem irrational to raise a speed limit on a road where motorists already drive dangerously fast. But surveys done by the city to measure speeds on this section of Colima showed 85 percent of drivers averaging 53 mph. That's how the city used that average to establish a new speed limit. Because under California law, cities are required to undertake similar surveys before officers can use radar guns in order to enforce speed limits. Therefore, the previous 45 mph limit was not radar-enforceable.