Motorists, check speed limit signs in Gilroy for changes. As of Oct. 14, speed limits on some streets have either increased or decreased.
Chestnut Street, Church Street, Eighth Street, Fourth Street, Kern Avenue, Miller Avenue, Sunrise Drive, Third Street and Hanna Street were all affected by the changes.
Fourth Street, sections of Kern Avenue, sections of Miller Avenue, Chestnut Street and Sunrise Drive all had speed limit increases of 5 mph.
Sections of Miller Avenue, Church Street, Third Street, Eighth Street and Hanna Street all had speed limit decreases of 5 mph.
The speed limit increased by 15 mph on Leavesley Road, west of Highway 101.
The changes are a part of the 2019 Engineering and Traffic Survey that was presented to the city council in July 2019.
“Speed limits are established primarily for protecting the public from the behavior of reckless, unreliable or dangerous drivers,” reads the study. “Speed limits are generally established at or near the 85th percentile speed…also referred to as the critical speed, [which] is defined as the speed at or below which 85 percent of traffic is moving in free-flow conditions. Speed limits established on this basis conform to the consensus of those who drive on the roadways as to what speed is reasonable and safe under normal driving conditions.”
The city said in an email to residents that people living on the affected streets would be notified by mail of the changes.
