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Good morning Red Phone, I don’t know who decides what a safe
speed is on a certain street. There are two areas I question. The
first, on Tennant Avenue between Murphy Avenue and Condit Road
there is a speed limit sign indicating 45 mph is safe. You couldn’t
get a car going that fast between those two streets. Seriously,
though, the signs from Hill Road to Murphy Avenue say 40 mph and
from the freeway exit past Juan Hernandez is to 40 mph.
“Good morning Red Phone, I don’t know who decides what a safe speed is on a certain street. There are two areas I question. The first, on Tennant Avenue between Murphy Avenue and Condit Road there is a speed limit sign indicating 45 mph is safe. You couldn’t get a car going that fast between those two streets. Seriously, though, the signs from Hill Road to Murphy Avenue say 40 mph and from the freeway exit past Juan Hernandez is to 40 mph.
“Second question, did the speed limit recently change from 45 to 50 mph on Monterey Road from Cochrane Road toward Sobrato High School? Again, how is it determined that a higher speed is safe? Just a curious and concerned, I guess.”
Dear Curious and Concerned, Red Phone contacted Morgan Hill Senior Civil Engineer Scott Creer, who said speed limits on city streets are established using the 85th percentile speed, or the speed at or below which 85 percent of vehicles are driven.
“The 85th percentile speed is commonly referred to as the critical speed,” Creer said. “Speed limits higher than the critical speed are not considered reasonable and safe while speed limits below the critical speed do not facilitate the orderly movement of traffic.”
The city follows State guidelines by surveying streets about every five years to determine what speed 85 percent of drivers drive. In the case of Monterey Road – the most recent city survey, which was completed in September of 2005 – established speed limits as follows:
n Cochrane Road to Peebles Avenue – 45 mph
n Peebles Avenue and the city limits (Tilton Avenue) – 50 mph
These speed limits have been in effect since late 2005.
Regarding Tennant Avenue between Murphy Avenue and Condit Road, this section is within the County’s jurisdiction. Red phone will check in with the county about that section. Hope that answers your other questions, good caller.
Red Phone, thanks for getting sign fixed
Red Phone: Thanks for getting the ‘No Left Turn’ sign replaced coming out of the Rite-Aid lot onto Monterey, however motorists are still making left turns, and the MHPD is missing out on fines. And besides it’s a dangerous turn.”
Dear Concerned Citizen, thanks for the kudos. As far as the police, Red Phone knows they read. So motorists, be careful out there. It is a dangerous turn, and you may be in line for a ticket.
