Speed limit reduced on Court Street after Pasco neighbors raise street racing concerns
New speed limit signs will soon pop up along West Court Street. Pasco is reducing the limit by 5 mph on a nearly two-mile stretch of the road.
For years, a group of concerned residents has been advocating for traffic safety improvements on their neighborhood street.
Since 2021, they have made repeated complaints to the city about cars speeding and street racing through the neighborhood.
Residents were most concerned about a section of West Court Street from Road 100 west to Harris Road. Bicyclists and pedestrians travel on the Sacagawea Heritage Trail that runs along the street and connects Chiawana Park and McKeever Park. The trail is marked by painted white lines on the road.
The issue came to a head in October when city staff presented a plan with three options to address West Court Street traffic issues. Costs ranged from $40,000 to $6.1 million.
Traffic calming refers to a set of design strategies aimed at reducing vehicle speeds and enhancing safety in residential and pedestrian areas.
At the time, some members of the Pasco City Council wanted to use their authority to change the speed limit on West Court Street. In October, the council directed city staff to develop a procedure to establish a maximum speed limit for citywide streets.
The council recently passed an ordinance to implement a new 25 mph speed limit on Court Street from Harris Road to Road 100, lowering it from 30 mph. The ordinance also reduces the speed limit on West Sylvester Street between Road 32 and Road 54 from 35 mph to 30 mph.
Mayor Pete Serrano and Councilwoman Melissa Blasdel opposed the change.
But one resident is happy to see the change. “We are relieved,” Dallas Green told the Herald. “We’ve got an absolute win on our hands.”
Green praised current Pasco city leaders whom he said have been trying to find a solution “since day one.”
2nd opinion on speeds
The Pasco City Council received a second opinion on West Court Street speeds and traffic after asking city staff in October to find another consultant.
Originally, Pasco Public Works staff and Sean Messner, a traffic engineering consultant from Spokane-based CivTech, evaluated conditions on the road at the end of 2023.
City staff and the CivTech consultant concluded that speeds on West Court Street are “reasonable and expected for the conditions,” according to the Oct. 11 meeting. Public works staff previously told the Herald that recent police traffic data also is consistent with that conclusion.
Then the city hired John Manix, a traffic engineer at PBS Engineering to complete a review of the CivTech speed study and propose a new set of traffic calming recommendations for West Court Street.
The new evaluation determined that the speed limit should be reduced to 25 mph on West Court Street from Road 100 west to Harris Road.
Manix made other recommendations to the city:
- Install additional signs and striping
- Reduce speed limit from Road 96 to Road 100 from 40 mph to 30 mph
- If the speed limit is lowered, install speed feedback signs
- Narrow travel lanes
- Upgrade bike lanes with buffers
“The plan provided by PBS is exactly what we’ve been asking for — lowering the speed limit, providing a buffer for the bike lane, adding radar feedback signs and if we have to, putting speed cushions in,” Green said.
It’s unclear whether the city will move forward with any other recommendations.
