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Final day for Senate to pass cost-free bill to help make neighborhood streets safer – UPDATE: Passed!

UPDATE: The Senate passed the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill just before the deadline to pass non-budgetary bills Wednesday. With 45 Senators voting in favor (2 against, 2 excused), HB 1045 is on its way to the governor’s desk.

Original Story:

The Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill (HB 1045) got off to a screaming start this legislative season, flying through the House with wide bipartisan support. It’s progress through the Senate has found similar bipartisan support, but it has moved very slowly. It is in line for a full Senate vote, but time is running out:


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The bill would make it easier for municipalities to lower non-arterial, mostly residential street speed limits to 20 mph. There is no pricetag on the bill. In fact, because it would remove the red tape burden on local governments to conduct costly and time-consuming traffic studies, it may actually save money. Remove red tape, save money and make neighborhood streets safer? You can see why the bill has found so few enemies.

This is where the bill died last year. Let’s not let that happen again. Call your senator and tell them this is important to you and your neighbors, and should be a priority today.


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12 responses to “Final day for Senate to pass cost-free bill to help make neighborhood streets safer – UPDATE: Passed!”

  1. Gordon Padelford

    For those looking for an easy way to act, here is the action alert from the Bicycle Alliance: http://bicyclealliance.org/act-now/action-alerts/

    and Cascade: http://blog.cascade.org/2013/04/vote-yes-safe-neighborhood-streets/

  2. I just called. Thanks for the nudge!

  3. Matthew

    Can someone play devil’s advocate for a minute and give me a quick rundown of the rationale behind opposing the bill? Why would this not pass, other than pure apathy on the part of the legislators? Is there some sinister rider on the bill?

    1. Tom Fucoloro

      The biggest arguments against it come from people who are concerned that cities will use the law to set up speed traps. However, since the law only applies to “non-arterial” streets (AKA, not thoroughfares or busy commercial streets) these fears are very likely not warranted. Typically, when people think of speed traps, they think of section of state highways where speed limits drop from 50 to 30, and officers hang out right after the speed limit change and pull people over all day long. This law will not apply to such streets.

      1. Andres

        Hooray! I’m looking forward to how this affects SDOT policy, especially in regards to greenways and speed calming, and school zones.

        As far as people being against this bill, one of the crazier claims I’ve read (on comments in news posts, where the crazies like to gather) is that when passed, SDOT will re-classify arterials. Once they’ve been classified as non-arterials, they’ll set up their nefarious speed traps to drain poor, innocent drivers of their livelihoods.

  4. Gary

    Bicyclists screaming down residential street hills as well as skateboarders will get tickets?

  5. Maybe, if they don’t get killed first.

  6. Leif Espelund

    Let’s hope so grandpa. Those scofflaw cyclists and kids on skateboards are a scourge on our fair city.

  7. […] 1045 (the safe streets bill) passes Senate 45-2, headed to the governor’s […]

  8. […] everyone enough for your letters and calls to pass the Bicycle Alliance’s signature legislation, the Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill. Your calls and emails can again make a difference in securing investments for biking today and […]

  9. […] streets safer for all forms of mobility.  From proposed changes to DUI laws, to the passage of the Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill, the NE 75th Street Road Safety Corridor project, and a proposed statewide transportation budget […]

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