how do you spell revenue $$$$$ Original Article Tempe looks at speed limits 2 plans target fast drivers, uniformity Jahna Berry The Arizona Republic Mar. 5, 2005 12:00 AM Kris Arthur has memorized Tempe streets with school zones so he doesn't waste time getting around town. "You want to get to places quickly," said the 26-year-old who lives on the Tempe-Mesa boundary and who cuts through Tempe regularly. But Arthur and thousands of other motorists would have to ease off the gas pedal under two proposals to lower Tempe speed limits. Changing Tempe's limits could affect motorists throughout the region as drivers pass through the city that is surrounded by the East Valley. Tempe needs to make traffic rules more consistent for drivers who are frustrated by streets that have several speed limits, said one member of a citizens group studying the speed limits. "It's not lowering the speed limit. It's bringing it into conformity," said Joan Westlake. On Rural Road, the limit jumps from 35 mph to 40 mph to 45 mph on one three-mile stretch. There's also a mixed bag of speed limits on streets north of Baseline Road, while drivers generally can cruise at 45 mph on Baseline and the main roads south of it. Under one plan, called "Alternative 1", the city would make few changes. For the most part, the plan lowers the speed limit on a few stretches north of Baseline from 45 to 40. "Alternative 2" would make those changes and go even further. It would cut the speed limit on most main streets bordered by Southern Avenue, Rio Salado Parkway, Priest Drive and McClintock Drive down to 35. Baseline and major streets south of Baseline would go from 45 mph to 40 mph. Ellen Williams, a 15-year resident of Tempe, knows firsthand how vexing the inconsistent speed limits can be. She says her husband was dinged for speeding last year after a street near a church was lowered to 35 mph. "It sneaks up on you if it's not well marked," the 62-year-old said. "It turns into a speed trap." Schools zones also are posted 35 mph at all times, including Saturdays and Sundays. Some say changing the speed limits is pointless on some major roads in Tempe, which can be six lanes. "Your speeders are still going to speed," said Mesa resident Jennifer McCoy, who drives in Tempe often. "In major business districts, you should be able to do 45." Some city officials agree. Lowering the speed limit may not work unless traffic calming strategies are part of the plan, transportation commissioner Kevin Olson said. "There are a lot of people whose instincts are to solve some problems by saying, 'Let's change the speed limit,' " he said. "In my own view . . . that's just plain wrong. People won't slow down "unless you change the physical environment." When a traffic commission reviewed the plans recently, it narrowly recommended that speed limits be changed throughout the city. That recommendation was passed on to the city's Transportation Department and will go to the Police Department and others for input. Options such as a combination of the alternatives could be formulated, said Robert Conway, Tempe's traffic engineering supervisor. City Council may discuss the issue this month. City leaders could choose one of the plans or opt to further study the issue. If the council changes the speed limit, it would become an ordinance after two public hearings. Although some drivers like Arthur grudgingly admit that consistency is a good idea, they would rather keep the faster speed limit. "But if it has to be done, do it all at once," he said. Robert Buan, 33, an Oakland A's announcer who lives in the Valley during spring training, said, "It's not something I would even notice. There are so many lights." Katie Nelson contributed to this report. Where does the money go? A Tempe speeding ticket is $152, but only some goes to the city. $61.67 - Goes to Tempe's general fund. $10 - Court Enhancement Fund. Funnels into the Tempe Municipal Court budget. $10 - Tempe's Public Safety Enhancement Fund. This money enhances general operations of the Police Department. $38.37 - State Criminal Justice Enhancement Fund. Helps pay for the automated fingerprint identification system, juvenile corrections, peace officers' training and prosecuting attorneys' training. $10.62 - State Medical Services Enhancement Fund. Helps pay for substance abuse services, emergency medical services, and the spinal and head injuries trust. $8.17 - State Clean Elections Fund. $5.72 - State Fill the Gap Fund. Goes to funds for county attorneys, indigent defense, state and municipal courts, processing criminal cases and criminal justice commission. $2.45 - State DNA Testing. $5 - Probation fee. Used for adult and juvenile probation and surveillance officer salaries, and to support Superior Court adult and juvenile probation departments. Source: Tempe Municipal Court http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/tempe/articles/0305t-speedside05Z10.html Police looking at proposal on table Katie Nelson The Arizona Republic Mar. 5, 2005 12:00 AM Tempe police are working with the city's Transportation Department on two proposals to drop speed limits in the city. Police haven't formed an official opinion about options presented in the proposals, said Commander Phil Harris, who leads the department's traffic bureau. Yet they acknowledge speed is a problem in Tempe, as it is in the rest of the Valley. A majority of the traffic tickets issued by the department are for speeding, which contributes to more than 40 percent of accidents in the city, Harris said. advertisement "Although we rarely have accidents caused by extreme speeds, by and large accidents in Tempe are caused by traffic backups in rush hour and people being inattentive," Harris said. Those fender benders don't usually take place at speeds at or above the speed limits, he said, but state law states that a speeding ticket still can be issued if someone's speed creates a hazard. The Police Department has been in on the discussion about lowering speed limits since early January. It will be discussed further during the next two weeks. Main thoroughfares through Tempe's 40 square miles present different challenges than residential streets where speed bumps and "chokers" narrowing the street's width can be used as traffic calming devices, said Robert Conway, Tempe's traffic engineering supervisor. Most of Tempe's main arterial roads are wide, straight and flat. It makes it easy for drivers to hustle through, and forces the city to rely more heavily on police presence to slow speeders, Conway said. There isn't any target area of the city where speeding is more common, said traffic Sgt. Don Yennie. The Police Department's photo radar van is used throughout to catch lead-footed drivers. Officers on motorcycles target areas where people have complained about drivers traveling too fast. And a state grant should provide a tool in the coming months: two 8- by 4-foot mobile message boards similar to those on Valley freeways that will alert Tempe drivers about road closures and slowing caused by accidents, special events or construction.