Raise Shore Drive speed limit back to 45, study suggests

Posted to: News Traffic - Transportation Virginia Beach
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By Aaron Applegate
The Virginian-Pilot
© February 22, 2011

VIRGINIA BEACH

Lowering the speed limit on part of Shore Drive to 35 mph has not made the road safer and it should be increased back to 45, a city-commissioned study concluded.

The City Council lowered the speed limit in June on a four-mile segment between Pleasure House Road and North Great Neck Road. The action came after two pedestrians in six months were hit and killed by cars while trying to cross the road after leaving a bar. Ten pedestrians have been killed on Shore Drive in the past eight and a half years.

Civic league leaders and families of the victims pushed for the lower speed limit, which police vigorously enforced. Opponents said alcohol consumption by the victims probably was the main cause for the accidents and have lobbied to have the limit raised.

The $15,000 study done by Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc., found that "based on the speed, crash and physical characteristics data, the previously posted 45 mph speed limit was an appropriate speed limit." It also said, "reducing the speed limit to 35 mph has yet to show benefits or impacts in terms of safety."

City traffic engineers reached similar conclusions last year after analyzing Shore Drive.

The City Council, which ordered the study when it lowered the speed limit, now has to decide what to do with the findings, if anything.

Vice Mayor Louis Jones and Councilman Jim Wood, who pushed for the reduction, which the entire council supported, said they want to keep the speed limit at 35.

"We haven't had a death since we implemented the 35 mile per hour speed limit," Jones said. "I like that, and I want to keep it that way."

Wood said the speed limit should remain 35 mph on Shore Drive east of the Lesner Bridge, which falls in his district. He said the study might not tell the full story. "At first glance, it just seems like the study didn't occur for very long," he said. "My interpretation was that they were going to do more analysis than what was done."

The study data were collected the last two weeks of January. Drivers' average speed was between 36 and 42 mph, the report said.

Opponents of the 35 mph speed limit rejoiced at the study's findings. "I'm thrilled," said Barbara Black, a resident who'd lobbied the City Council to go back to 45 mph. "If you're doing 35, you're all jammed up."

David Williams of the Shore Drive Community Coalition, which fought to lower the speed limit, agreed with Jones and Wood.

The study also found that the 35 mph speed limit between North Great Neck Road and First Landing State Park, which was lowered in a separate action a year and half ago after residents complained the road was dangerous, could be raised. However, more data is needed, the report said. "Therefore, keeping the current posted speed of 35 mph could be considered until more conclusive data is available."

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"Drunk Zone" programmable speed limit?

Submitted by tomctpilot on Wed, 03/23/2011 at 6:20 am.

The normal hours of the drunk, texting jaywalkers are Friday and Saturday evenings. Why not use proven school zone technology and have electronic speed limit signs on Shore Drive? We could all commute to work at a reasonable 45 MPH. Then on weekend evenings the flashers would come on and the signs would change to 35 MPH during drinking hours.

Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc.

Submitted by beach23451 on Wed, 02/23/2011 at 3:01 am.

Remember City of Virginia Beach Rule #1. Never commission a study you do not already know the outcome of.
I would suggest that the Shore Drive Civic Leagues quick go out and get a study done that says the lowering the speed limit does result in safety.
Remember folks you can get a study to say anything you want it to say. What is important is who requested the study? How was the issue approached?
So this was really "What was the average speed limit for two weeks in January" study. You really can not say anything else from the data collected. Why did not the VA Pilot contact the people who did this study for some background? Or was this story a City of Virginia Beach "press release".?

keep Shore Drive 35

Submitted by bruced on Tue, 02/22/2011 at 7:53 pm.

According to the Federal Hwy Admin and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reducing motor vehicle speeds correlates with fewer and less severe crashes.

I'm surprised that the city clings so tenaciously to the 85th pct speed determination. By their logic 80 mph on Shore Drive would be acceptable if that is what drivers are doing (and Virginia's statuatory limit didn't exist). As I was once told by a senior DOT type, "better guidance exists for localities that want to use it."

This report confirms that speeds are often set solely for the benefit of drivers at the expense of everyone else including the elderly, teens and families going to the beach, cyclists, joggers and anyone else not encased in a ton or two of steel.

35 seems right w

Keep it at 35

Submitted by Outdoorsman on Sun, 02/27/2011 at 9:08 am.

Yo. Great point on the study information. So many folks do not or can not delve into the labirynth of information available. People only tend to hear what the want to hear. Thanks for pointing out the "rest of the story".

bruced's Keep Shore Dr. 35

Submitted by zippyvb on Wed, 02/23/2011 at 11:59 am.

What you say seems true, bruced. And it appears that non-cycling motorists forget that almost all cyclists are ALSO motorists who drive to work/volounteer/school/children's plays/sports acitvities, etc.. We ALL have lives, places to go, things to do, people to see, money to make. BUT, we all have the same right to that little space on the right side of the road.

What is so peculiar, and I know you know this, dear bruced, is that if so many millions of people around the world can share that little space so nicely and at lower speeds, without killing one another, why do we find it such a feat here in our lovely and beloved own home in Virginia Beach? We seem like such pigs. It's embarrassing. I am ashamed of us.

Question for the folks who want 45 which = ~53mph

Submitted by solar on Tue, 02/22/2011 at 6:09 pm.

1. Will you help get Shore Drive designated a special road which has increased fines for speeding over 45 & not 10mph over, or for any moving violations?

2. Will you work with us to get Shore Drive designated a special road where if a driver kills a pedestrian or cyclist - they are charged with Manslaughter as the starting point for their trial?

3. Will you work with us to get continuous sidewalks/multi-use paths + bike lanes on both sides of 100% of SD 100% funded in the next budget cycle?

4. Will you work with us to get sidewalks painted, lite, and signaled in far more locations than there are now so people won't have to cross in the middle of SD?

Or is driving ~41mph easier?

It goes both ways

Submitted by Daily_reader on Wed, 02/23/2011 at 6:33 am.

1. Will you support new and heavier fines and regulations for pedestrians who do not use crosswalks and cyclists who do not use bike lanes or otherwise impede the flow of traffic creating a hazard?

2. Will you support and recognize the current laws that if a driver kills a pedestrian or cyclist that operate irresponsibly in a roadway outside of a crosswalk or bike lane - that the vehicle operator will not initially be found at fault unless proven guilty in a court of law?

3. Will you support a revenue source generated by taxing bicycles for use in the Shore drive corridor to pay for bike lanes?

Or is personal safety not a personal responsibility?

It Goes Both Ways

Submitted by zippyvb on Fri, 02/25/2011 at 8:45 pm.

You are pretty funny, Daily Reader. Cyclists already pay for the roads on which they ride. They ARE the MOTORISTS who choose to ALSO ride bikes in addition to driving their cars. And the law allows the same rights to cyclists as to motorists on these roads. So it really does go both ways. Cyclists are sharing the roads with motorists. I believe what we need is more education by the DMV to teach us that when we are getting our driver's licenses.
I do understand that there are negligent cyclists just as I understand that there are dangerous motorists. Perhaps cyclists need to be licensed as well? I would be fine with that if municipalities would just hold all sides responsible for wreckless behavior. Let's all pay attention out there.

Answer

Submitted by HubertJazz on Tue, 02/22/2011 at 9:10 pm.

Fact. In general 29% people could care less about anyone else while driving. Strange that that's the same number of hate filled "news" watchers in this country. If you were a unborn fetus walking or riding a bike you would have a LOT of support as unborn fetus's are far more precious than adult human beings! Get the hell out of my way I'm too busy and important and judgmental of you to be carefull! Nuff Said!
- Hugh Jazz