(Okoboji)– A lower speed limit could be in the offing for a heavily traveled street in Okoboji. The city council is considering a proposal to lower the speed limit on Sanborn Avenue from Highway 71 to the airport from 35 mph currently to 25 mph. Police Chief Jason Petersen sites concerns over safety…
“With the increased traffic of cars, increased traffic of pedestrians and bicycles, it’s dangerous, or it’s more dangerous than it used to be. Granted we did lose traffic from The Inn, so that weights out a little bit, but the traffic from the side roads has increased quite a bit.”
Petersen says there’s something else about the current limit that bothers him…
“It baffles me to come off of a U.S. highway which has a speed limit of 30, to speed up to 35 on Sanborn Avenue for half a mile, then slow down to 25 to go to another residential street. Sanborn Avenue I believe is zoned residential, part of it is commercial. Iowa Code mandates with some exceptions and I’m not exactly sure what those exceptions are, that residential streets be 25.”
Councilman Jim Hentges says he’d be in favor of the reduction…
“Everybody uses it to walk. Strollers, whatever. It’s a matter of time. We’re extremely fortunate that we haven’t had an accident, then we would lower it.”
Fellow council member Kae Hoppe says while there are safety issues on Sanborn Avenue, that it’s also up to the people walking in the street there to use some caution likewise…
“We could drive 10 mph and they’re still going to be going. There’s people walking with traffic, against traffic, riding with and against. Dogs, strollers, everything.”
The council voted 3-2 to authorize city staff to put together an ordinance that would lower the speed limit. It will be brought back to the council for consideration at their September 8th meeting.
The Okoboji City Council in 2019 considered a similar proposal but scrapped it, saying it was more of an enforcement issue at that time.
