PORT ANGELES — Leadfoot drivers be advised:
Clallam County commissioners on Tuesday voted to lower the speed limit on West Sequim Bay Road east of Sequim and the steep, southern terminus of Old Mill Road south of Port Angeles.
The speed limit was lowered from 35 to 30 mph on West Sequim Bay Road from the Sequim city limit just south of Whitefeather Way to the end of the county road at U.S. Highway 101 near Sequim Bay State Park.
Old Mill Bay Road will stay 35 mph from the Port Angeles city limit to milepost 1.4 where the road pinches down and runs up a windy hill. The new speed limit will be 25 mph on the steep final stretch.
These changes will take effect when new signs are installed later this year.
A 25 mph speed limit for Bear Creek Road on the county’s West End near Sappho was formally established on Tuesday because it was inadvertently left off the county’s speed limit listing.
A private petitioner started the proposal to change the speed limit on West Sequim Bay Road.
Under county policy, a private citizen can petition to a change the speed limit by gathering signatures from affected property owners that equal 10 percent of the average number of vehicles that drive a given road daily.
Once the speed limit is changed by petition, it is locked in place for five years.
County officials, however, can change speed limit as they see fit.
The section of West Sequim Bay Road in question is limited to unincorporated Clallam County.
Ross Tyler, Clallam County roads engineer, recommended the speed limit be kept at 35 mph.
Public comments — 13 letters with two dozen signatures and a half dozen citizens who spoke on Tuesday — were split.
Supporters of lowering the speed limit said the road is dangerous for pedestrians and motorists who try to pull onto the county road from driveways at blind corners. They said the road is heavily used by commercial vehicles that can’t stop in time for motorists pulling onto the road.
Opponents said there are few wrecks on West Sequim Bay Road, and that changing the speed limit will not deter speeders.
“The initial request, though I am uncertain that it is memorialized in writing, was that some vehicles are traveling at a rate significantly above the posted speed limit of 35 mph,” Tyler said in his report to the three commissioners.
“There was also an added concern that this section of West Sequim Bay Road has limited shoulder width and is used regularly by pedestrians and bicyclists.”
When he drove the section of West Sequim Bay Road at the posted speed of 35 mph, Tyler said he had adequate width and sight distance.
Furthermore, Tyler said lowering the speed limit will not likely deter the small percentage of speeders who travel significantly faster than the posted 35.
“It is my professional opinion that the existing posted speed limit of 35 miles an hour is adequate for this section of West Sequim Bay Road and that the current posted speed be retained,” Tyler said.
Traffic counters will be placed on West Sequim Bay Road next spring to help law enforcement officials decide whether or not to step up enforcement, Tyler added.
Commissioner Steve Tharinger, whose district spans the eastern third of Clallam County, said he supports the petition to lower the speed limit based on the narrowness of West Sequim Bay Road, the amount of traffic going both ways and the number of pedestrians who use it.
Consideration to lower the speed limit near the southern terminus of Old Mill Road was initiated by a resident whose dog was struck and killed by a motorist there.
“After talking to this individual, and after driving this section of Old Mill Road in my personal vehicle, I determined that a reduction in the speed limit from the posted 35 miles an hour to 25 miles an hour was appropriate,” Tyler said.
A 25 mph speed limit is appropriate on the final 1.4 miles where it becomes steep, narrow and windy with poor sight distance, Tyler said.
“We are also investigating the possibility of installing a warning sign indicating limited sight distance or some comparable language,” Tyler said.
One person spoke in favor of lowing the speed limit on the terminus of Old Mill Road before the commissioners unanimously approved all of the proposed changes.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
