Speed limit reduced from 40 to 35 from Lower Gold Camp to Highway 24
A 35-mph speed limit sign (recently reduced
from 40) faces northbound traffic on 21st Street, just north of Lower Gold Camp
Road. The lower speed applies from there to Highway 24. Another point to be
aware of: There are only two of these signs on the northbound side - just before
the downhill (the one here) and at the bottom of the hill.
Westside Pioneer photo
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Colorado Springs Transportation officials this month reduced the speed limit on South 21st Street between Lower Gold Camp Road and Highway 24 from 40 mph to 35.
The roughly one-mile stretch is one of four city street segments earmarked for slowdowns of 5 mph.
The others are Academy Boulevard (Pikes Peak Avenue to Milton Proby Parkway), 50 to 45; Centennial Boulevard (north of Garden of the Gods Road); 40 to 35; and Flying W Ranch Road (Centennial Boulevard to 30th Street), 35mph to 30mph.
A city press release did not specify why those street segments were chosen - such as accident rates, number of tickets or (in the case of 21st) the steepness of the hill.
However, the release quoted City Traffic Engineer Kathleen Krager saying that the city as a whole has seen a “record number of traffic fatalities” this year. According to Colorado Springs Police, that number is 44, breaking a record that had stood since 1986.
Also, Krager said, “we are experiencing an overall increase of 10 miles per hour over the speed citywide, [so] reducing the speed limit and making speeds more consistent throughout the length of the corridor will create more predictability and provide more reaction time for all roadway users.”
Regarding the consistency aspect, the speed limit is 40 mph on 21st just south of Lower Gold Camp Road, whereas just north of Highway 24 it's 30 mph.
The press release outlines additional city efforts for traffic safety, including an educational campaign titled “Focus on Safety,” increased police speed enforcement through next September (under a federal grant) and plans to install red-light cameras at four intersections.
Westside Pioneer article
(Transportation:
Major Roads)
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