Why is Wamego dropping its speed limit to 20 mph?
WAMEGO (KSNT) - With a few exceptions, the City of Wamego has chosen to drop the speed limit for local streets to 20 mph.
KSNT 27 news spoke with City Manager Stacie Eichem for an explanation for why the decision was made and what this means for people driving through Wamego. She said the Governing Body of Wamego approved Ordinance 1800 on Dec. 19, adopting a city-wide 20 mph limit.
Language in the ordinance states that a traffic speed study was conducted by Olsson Engineers. A recommendation from this study asked for the speed limit on local roadways to be lowered to 20 mph "in order to better align travel speeds along local roadways with speed limit guidance."
The City of Wamego provided KSNT 27 News with the map below to better explain what local streets will be impacted by the new ordinance. All highlighted streets are exceptions to the rule while those that are not highlighted will be switched to 20 mph.
Eichem said city leaders heard complaints from some local residents that traffic was moving too quickly in city limits. Eichem, who shared similar concerns with city leaders, received authorization to start a Safe Driving Coalition which consists of local residents, the Wamego Police Department, USD 320 and the City of Wamego.
This is all being done to make the city streets safer for travelers and locals alike. Eichem said other recent moves to make the roads better include switching some yield signs to stop signs, adding radar signs and pedestrian crosswalks.
"The speed limit getting changed is just one piece of the puzzle," Eichem said.
Eichem referenced a safe highway study being conducted by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) as a partial source of inspiration for creating the Safe Driving Coalition. KDOT is currently sponsoring the safety corridor pilot program from 2023 to 2028 which focuses on four corridors across the state selected based on crash history. You can learn more about this initiative by clicking here.
Eichem said the city is currently in a transition period as signs are updated to reflect the new speed limit. This is a slow process, especially given the recent winter weather which has prevented crews from updating the signage.
"I think change is hard for everybody," Eichem said. "Everybody will just need to watch their speed."
Locals with safety concerns regarding local roads are encouraged to send their thoughts to the city by emailing communications@wamego.org. These will be addressed during upcoming meetings of the Safe Driving Coalition.
You can read Ordinance 1800 in its entirety by clicking here or checking out the document below:
Ordinance 1800 Amended by Matthew Self on Scribd
What do you think of the new city ordinance? Send an email to matthew.self@ksnt.com to share your thoughts on it or let us know on Facebook.
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