5.14.2026 PROPOSED SPEED LIMIT CHANGES ATTACHMENT 2.PDF

Proposed Speed Limit Changes
City Council Meeting 
May 14, 2026

Why Are Speed Limit Changes Proposed?
• To “right size” the speed limits to match the roadway 
context and characteristics.
• To improve speed limit consistency along corridors.
• To continue Vision Zero efforts of improving traffic safety.
2

City Council Priorities
• Performance Measure
1.08:  High Severity Crash Reduction
• Vision Zero Action Plan Strategy
Strategy G.4: Speed Limit Evaluation 
3

Proposed Speed Limit Changes
1
2
4a
4b
3
5
6
7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
McKellips Road:
Miller Road: 
Veterans Way/Fifth Street: 
Broadway Road:
Roosevelt Street: 
Priest Drive: 
Guadalupe Road: 
Existing
Proposed
4

Outreach and Public Engagement
Public Engagement
•
Nov 17, 2025 – Mar 1, 2026: Public Comment Period
•
Dec 9, 2025: Public Meetings
City Commissions, Council and Other Groups
•
Sept 9, 2025: Transportation Commission
•
Nov 13, 2025: City Council 
•
Feb 4, 2026: Neighborhood Advisory Commission
•
Feb 14, 2026: Tempe Bicycle Action Group
•
Mar 24, 2026: Mayor’s Youth Advisory Commission
•
Apr 30, 2026: City Council, 1st Hearing
•
May 12, 2026: Transportation Commission
•
May 14, 2026: City Council, 2nd Hearing
5

Outreach and Public Engagement
• Bilingual postcards sent out to 0.5-mile radius of 
each corridor 
• Flyer shared out at community events and 
neighborhood meetings 
• Project information sent out to Neighborhood 
Association and Homeowner’s association 
chairs 
• 8 social media posts over Facebook, Instagram 
and X 
• Information shared through Tempe this Week and 
the water bill 
• Survey reminder sent through the Forum 
6

Survey Responses
• Survey responses over the 3-month public 
comment period:
• 668 total responses
• 280 responses self-reported as Tempe residents 
(42% of total responses)
• Location provided by either zip code, address, or 
neighborhood
• Annual Community Survey
• Continued support for multimodalism
• Continued support for Vision Zero and traffic safety
7

Survey Responses
Responses with Tempe Location Indicated 
[280 responses]:
• 53% support speed limit changes
• 39% do not support speed limit changes
• 8% not sure
All Responses [668 responses]:
• 44% support speed limit changes
• 49% do not support speed limit changes
• 7% not sure
44%
49%
7%
All Responses
All Input - Yes
All Input - No
All Input - Not Sure
53%
39%
8%
Tempe - Yes
Tempe - No
Tempe - Not Sure
Location of Response Indicated - Tempe
Note: Summaries presented reflect the aggregate of all segment locations
8

Survey Responses
Public input themes – opposed to speed limit changes:
• Greater enforcement needed for any changes to be effective
• Increased congestion/time to get to work
• Physical changes to the roadway are needed to reduce 
speeds
• Concern proposed changes are based on intent to increase 
revenue
• Desire for more supporting data to be shared on proposed 
changes
9

Survey Responses
Public input themes – in support of speed limit changes:
• Increasing safety for all roadway users
• Reducing speeding
• Reducing likelihood of fatal and serious injury crashes
• Prefer to keep all roadways at or below 40 mph
• Improving consistency of the speed limit along corridors
10

Speed Limits - Data Considerations
Roadway Environment 
Roadway Characteristics
Other Factors
Land use
Frequency of 
driveways and 
access points
Level of 
pedestrian 
and bicyclist 
activity
Public transit 
use and 
frequency
Presence of on 
street parking
Roadway 
geometry and 
curvature
Lane widths
Presence of a 
raised median
11
Functional 
classification
Crash 
history
Traffic speeds
(85th percentile)
Traffic 
volumes

Example: 5th St/Veterans Way Characteristics
12

Crash Data Reviewed
Segment
Start
End
Total 
Crashes
Total Speed-
Related Crashes*
% Speed- 
Related 
Crashes*
Notes
Broadway Rd
West City Limit
Priest Dr
696
146
21.0%
Broadway Rd
Terrace Rd
East City Limit
Priest Dr
Alameda Dr
Baseline Rd
292
75
25.7%
Guadalupe Rd
Kyrene Rd
East City Limit
371
76
20.5%
Veterans Way/
5th Street
Farmer Ave
University Dr
77
17
22.1%
Miller Rd
North City Limit
Curry Rd
8
0
0.0%
Low sample size
McKellips Rd
College Ave
Scottsdale Rd
9
1
11.1%
Low sample size
Roosevelt St
Broadway Rd
Southern Ave
17
5
29.4%
Low sample size
*Note: In the data presented, a crash is considered "speed-related" if the first violation recorded for the vehicles involved were noted as either "speed too fast for conditions" or "exceeded lawful 
speed". However, the number of crashes that involved speeding may be underrepresented in the data presented for the following reasons: 
• If the primary violation is listed as anything other than speeding (e.g., failed to yield) it would not be captured as a speed-related crash, and
• If the reporting officer is not able to make a definitive determination at the scene. 
Overall: 21.8%
13
5-Year Crash Period Reviewed: 2020 - 2024
•
Speed was a factor in over 20% of all crashes that occurred on the corridors

Crash Data Reviewed
Example: Broadway Road, West Limits to Priest and Terrace to East Limits
•
Total Length: 2.9 miles
•
696 total crashes
•
Serious injury: 15 crashes (2%)
•
Fatal: 2 crashes (<1%)
2020 - 2024
14

Proposed Speed Limit Changes
1
2
4a
4b
3
5
6
7
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
McKellips Road:
Miller Road: 
Veterans Way/Fifth Street: 
Broadway Road:
Roosevelt Street: 
Priest Drive: 
Guadalupe Road: 
Existing
Proposed
15

16
Contact information
Transportation & Sustainability
Eric Iwersen, eric_iwersen@tempe.gov
Shelly Seyler, shelly_seyler@tempe.gov
Catherine Hollow, catherine_hollow@tempe.gov
Michelle Beckley, michelle_beckley@tempe.gov
Police
Lt. Greg Bacon, greg_bacon@tempe.gov