Ask The City – Why Are Speed Limits Around UW So Slow?

Your Question:

Why were the speed limits on the streets around the University of Wyoming changed 20 MPH on a persistent basis? This isn't even done around our elementary schools except for during certain hours. Is there any chance the city would consider changing the speed limit back to 30 MPH at least on 15th street? There are stoplights with crossings all through this area and it seems uncalled for on such a major artery through town. I can see some merit in the 20 MPH speed limit on the other streets around UW where people cross everywhere and pop out in between parked cars, but this is not the case on 15th street. All this seems to accomplish is a steady stream of revenue to UW police taking advatage of unsuspecting citizens. Would you please consider changing the speed limit on 15th street?

The City's Response:

Speed limits in the City of Laramie (excluding those roadways which are the jurisdiction of the Wyoming Department of Transportation) are recommended by Laramie’s “Traffic Commission”, and formally established by actions by Laramie’s City Council.  Changes to speed limits are typically initiated by a request from a citizen or organization, and consideration is based on an engineering speed study.

In the specific instance of the roadways near the University of Wyoming, the University completed a transportation master plan in May of 2008.  In September of 2008, the University formally requested reduction of speed limits, on Ivinson Avenue, Lewis Street, 9^th Street and 15^th Street adjacent to the University core campus.  The request and the master plan, documented the extremely high pedestrian and bicycle traffic in the area.  The predominance of pedestrians and bicyclists traversing the area not using cross walks or intersections (where motorists would be expecting the crossing), provided strong support for the speed limit reduction to 20 miles per hour.  There is also a State Statute that recommends 20 mph speed limits adjacent to schools.  Traffic Commission took further consideration of the fact that pedestrian, bicyclist and motorized traffic associated with the University occurs at all times of the day and the night, which contributed to the decision to post the speed limits as a constant, and not be established over certain hours.

Despite the traffic signals on 15^th Street, many residents would not agree that the roadway is less affected by pedestrians and bicyclists crossing at will.  Quite the contrary, the intersection of 15^th Street and Ivinson Avenue is one of the intersections most questioned by residents because of pedestrian and bicyclist conflict with motorized vehicles.

This response comes from the Community Development Engineering Division.

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