Tempe staff recommends 5-mph reductions on seven corridors in push to reduce serious crashes; second hearing set May 14

City transportation staff presented a proposal to reduce posted speeds by 5 mph on seven Tempe corridors to better align posted limits with adjacent land uses, to improve consistency and to reduce crash severity.

Transportation Director Eric Iverson said the review used national guidance (MUTCD and FHWA speed-setting guidance), observed speeds, crash history from 2020–2024 and land-use changes such as increased density and more multimodal travel. Senior engineer Michelle Beckley summarized corridor-level factors used to set the recommendation and reported that about 22% of reviewed crashes had speed recorded as a contributing factor on crash forms.

Staff described outreach that included the Transportation Commission and a Tempe forum that produced nearly 670 responses citywide; of the 280 self-identified Tempe respondents, 53% supported the recommended corridor changes. Bike-advocacy speakers and residents urged the council to adopt the reductions as a near-term safety measure while also pursuing engineering and street-design improvements.

Council opened the item for public comment; no final adoption occurred and staff scheduled a second hearing for the May 14 council meeting.

What to watch: staff will return on May 14 with the ordinance language for a second hearing and potential adoption. Iverson said posted changes are only one step and that engineering countermeasures will be needed to achieve lower operating speeds and protect pedestrians and cyclists.