Clallam County residents who want to put the brakes on other drivers must slow down and wait for county commissioners to raise or lower speed limits on 16 stretches of road.
About 70 people crowded commissioners’ chambers Tuesday for a public hearing on the proposed changes, 15 of which were sought by residents where motorists, the neighbors say, drive too fast.
At the hearing’s end, commissioners asked County Road Engineer Don McInnes to take their testimony into consideration and bring back the issue back to their Jan. 24 work session. They could approve or reject the proposals as early as Jan. 25.
McInnes had made preliminary recommendations based on the speed at which 85 percent of motorists usually drive.
Drive at a speed above the 85th percentile, and you’re likely to be in danger, McInnes said. Drop too far below it, and you obstruct the orderly flow of traffic.
Although there was testimony on all but two of the proposals (one of which was McInnes’), most testimony centered on East Anderson Road and Blue Mountain Road east of Port Angeles, and on Laird Road and West Edgewood Drive west of the city.
Some residents on the eastern roads urged commissioners to lower the limits; others wanted them raised. Residents to the west of the city told commissioners to leave the limits alone.
