By Neal Legler
Speed limits may increase on some Orem City roads if the city council follows the recommendations of its Engineering Department.
Speeds limits could increase by anywhere from 5 to 10 mph on several streets, including Main Street and 2000 North.
'My main concern is the safety of the people, especially the children, who live on the streets where the limits will be raised,' said K.J. Williams, a resident of Orem. 'I have no doubt that the driving speeds of vehicles will increase when the speed limits increase.'
Williams lives on Orem''s main street in a location where the street drops and turns left after cresting a hill. Cars driving south crest the hill three houses from Williams'' home.
'By the time I back out onto the street, preparing to head south, a car can come up over the crest of the hill and need to break for me,' Williams said. 'It is often difficult to safely back out of my driveway into the traffic on Main Street, especially in winter when cars coming over the hill have greater difficulty stopping.'
Williams asked the council not to change the speed limit on Main Street from 1600 North to 2000 North.
He also asked the city not to increase the speed limit on 2000 North due to heavy traffic and pedestrian activity caused by Oak Canyon Junior High.
Ben Knowlton, Aspen neighborhood chair, also said the council should be wary of increasing the speed limit on 2000 North due to a blind three-way intersection west of State Street.
Orem''s Engineering Division, together with a citizens committee, began looking at several areas of Orem''s transportation system several years ago.
As a result of their research, the citizens committee has recommended the city increase speed limits on several city streets.
The increases, they said, will not necessarily cause people to drive faster than is safe. Nor will reducing the speed limit lead people to drive slower.
Speed limits, they said, are most effective and safe when they reflect the speed most people drive naturally because most drivers are safe and reasonable.
'The intent (of the speed limit increases) is not to make traffic go faster on our streets,' Washburn said. 'All of us are absolutely and fundamentally concerned with safety. That is a critical issue with us.'
The city council had a public open house to discuss the proposed increases on April 24.
Residents have had mixed feelings about the proposal, Washburn said, and the council is appreciative of public input.
The council has not yet made any final decisions about the changes.
'There are people that come to these meetings feeling like this is almost a formality, and that the decision has already been made,' he said. 'And, frankly, there have been a number of reevaluations on a number of proposed streets, and so public input is really, really valuable and appreciated, and it does make a difference.'