WILMINGTON — Wilmington’s City Council will consider the reduction of the speed limit on part of Airlie Road to 25 mph after a petition created by residents was submitted to the city, though the majority of the people who live on the street did not sign the petition. A total of 36 residents of 84 abutting the portion of road signed the petition, according to City Council’s agenda.
City Manager Sterling Cheatham said “The residents abutting Airlie Road initiated and circulated a petition indicating not only the desire to have the roadway posted at 25 (mph), but also commitment to abide by such voluntarily.”
Cheatham also said the 85th percentile speed, which is the speed that 85 percent of drivers will travel along the road without strict enforcement is 42 mph. Reducing the speed to 25 mph will likely require additional enforcement from police to ensure compliance with the new speed limit, he said.
The current speed limit on the road varies from 35 mph to 25 mph.
City Council will also vote on a similar request for West Airlie Road and Guy Court, where residents are requesting the speed limit change to 15 mph.
The situation is similar to the proposed changing of speed limits on Lake Park Boulevard in Carolina Beach; the NCDOT similarly suggested that drivers would not adhere to the changing of the speed limit unless enforced with higher police presence.
Cheatham said there have been eight reported crashes along Airlie Road in the past five years, none of which appeared to be speed related accidents. The road is also used as an alternative for the River to Sea Bikeway, so lowering the speed would be beneficial to cyclists, he said.
“… Staff concludes that lowering the speed limit and operating speeds will enhance safety for non-motorized users of Airlie Road, while not substantially affecting the free movement of motor vehicles along this scenic corridor,” Cheatham said.
The Wilmington City Council will vote on the speed limit change Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.
Michael Praats can be reached at Michael.p@localvoicemedia.com
