Speed Limit Bill Stalled

The House Transportation and Defense Committee on Monday shot down a bill proposed by Rep. Tom Dorr that would fix at 25 mph the speed limit in residential areas throughout the state.

The state speed limit for residential areas currently is 35 mph, but city and county governments have the right to change that.

Committee members said they were wary of infringing on local highway districts’ power to set their own speed limits. They peppered Dorr, R-Post Falls, with pointed questions.

Rep. Robbi King, R-Glenns Ferry, said Dorr’s intentions were good, but the bill was unnecessary. “Local municipalities have jurisdiction on speed limits already.”

Rep. Dave Bivens, R-Meridian, agreed with King. “This is a very inflexible restriction on local governments … it would take away the right for local government to handle situations on a case-by-case basis,” he said.

Even Dorr’s fellow northerners opposed the bill. Rep. Marvin Vandenberg, D-Coeur d’Alene, called the bill a mandate.

Vandenberg also pointed to the existing laws allowing local governments control of their speed limits.

Dorr responded that his bill was intended as a default instead of a mandate.

If local governments wanted to expend the time, energy, and money to install a different speed limit, he said, they would have that right.

“If they (the local governments) went to no trouble, if they put forth no effort, the speed limit would be 25,” said Dorr.

Dorr’s goals were to create a safety net for neighborhoods and to save people the time and effort involved in lowering their own speed limits.

“It doesn’t seem to make sense that the local highway district should go to the expense to put up a sign. This is just a reasonable thing,” he said.

Dorr said he thought the committee was receptive to his intentions, but didn’t fully understand the proposal.

“If I had explained it differently, things would have been different.”

, DataTimes