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CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE NO. O-1314-31 UPON SECOND AND FINAL READING: AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AMENDING SECTION 20-1002 OF CHAPTER 20 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF NORMAN TO ALLOW THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS TO ESTABLISH SPEED LIMITS IN CONSTRUCTION ZONES; AND PROVIDING FOR THE SEVERABILITY THEREOF.
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BACKGROUND: Speed limits in the City of Norman are established in accordance with Chapter 20, Section 20-1002 of the Code of Ordinances. Section 1(a) designates typical limits for alleys (15 mph), school zones (20 mph) and section line roads (50 mph). Section 1(b) gives the Director of Public Works or his designee the authority to set limits based on pertinent traffic data obtained through traffic engineering studies and requires that three copies of the specific speed limits list be kept on file at the Office of Public Works and the City Clerk's Office at all times.
Speed limits can be and are sometimes changed to reflect the prevailing driver behavior. These changes are based on the appropriate engineering studies and have always been long term in nature. However, the current ordinance does not offer the flexibility needed to address short term speed limit reductions such as those desired during road construction and maintenance activities.
Penalties for speeding on City streets are established in Chapter 14, Section 14(c)(2). For instance, the current penalty for speeding in a school zone or school crossing is $200.00.
DISCUSSION: Nationally, thousands of crashes occur in work zones each year, leading to numerous fatalities and injuries. In many instances, these crashes have been attributed to excessive speed, which emphasizes the need to motivate drivers to comply with speed limits in work zones.
Temporary speed limits in construction zones are regulatory speed zones established in long term construction and/or maintenance projects where there are continuous hazards to the motorist. The speed ...
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