Long Beach city leaders to consider decreased speed limits due to increase in fatal traffic accidents

Long Beach city officials are set to vote on a series of proposals that would decrease speed limits for over 100 different streets throughout the city. 

City Council members are set to take a look at the speed limit reductions at Tuesday's council meeting. 

Due to an alarming increase in traffic fatalities over the last five years, the Department of Public Works conducted a study of Long Beach roads for more than a year, concluding that 107 different street segments needed to have a slower speed limit posted. 

"If a person is going 20 miles per hour, that person is more likely to survive than someone who is going 30 miles per hour and there is a collision," said Long Beach Public Works Director Eric Lopez.   

According to Long Beach Police Department, there have been 41 fatalities so far in 2022. 

The reduction efforts, spearheaded by Safe Streets Program, aims to reduce the traffic fatalities to zero within the next four years. 

"Speed often does kill if there is a collision," Lopez said. "We have tools to reduce those circumstances and make our streets safer."

Should council members opt to approve the changes, streets should see speed limits switch by summer next year. 

For more information on which streets would be affected, view the recommendation from the Department of Public Works.