CAROLINA BEACH — Speed limits continue to be a point of contention between residents, visitors, town leaders, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) in Carolina Beach.
For years now the town has worked progressively to lower speed limits across the town. Sometimes this has happened with support from NCDOT and facts to support the changes — and other times with the opposite.
On state-owned and maintained streets the town can request the NCDOT reduce (or raise) speed limits, and the decision ultimately comes down to state approval. For instance, when the town requested a speed limit reduction on Lake Park Boulevard for drivers entering the town from Snow’s Cut Bridge the NCDOT was not supportive of the request.
Related: NCDOT approves some safety improvements in Carolina Beach, won’t budge on N. Lake Park speed limits
However, the state did eventually allow it.
After conducting traffic studies of the road, the NCDOT essentially told town leaders they could change the speed limit to 35 mph — but they did not expect drivers to adhere to it unless the town was diligent on enforcement. Safety concerns were cited as part of the reason to lower the speed limits (despite the traffic studies suggesting drivers were unlikely to follow it) but the real reason for the change was to accommodate golf carts.
Now, the town is once again ready to pass a resolution lowering the speed limit on Lake Park Boulevard — this time — between Sumter Avenue and Alabama Avenue.
The current speed limit here is 35 mph; the resolution, if approved, will lower that to 25 mph.
The 85th percentile
When deciding on speed limit changes, the NCDOT uses what it calls the 85th percentile speed.
It is defined as, “… the speed at or below which 85 percent of the sampled vehicles travel. The majority of drivers operate their vehicles at a speed that is comfortable without strict enforcement, regardless of signage. Typically, the 85th percentile speed is used to determine the speed limit. This helps avoid posting speed limits that are artificially low …”
The 85th percentile is why the NCDOT has been resistant to changes along Dow Road where typical average speeds exceed 60 mph. The town has tried, unsuccessfully in the past, to lower the speed limits on Dow Road, but according to the graphic included in the resolution going before the Town Council, the town would still like to lower speeds on Dow Road.
The first portion of Dow Road roughly from Lake Park Boulevard to near Hamlet Avenue is currently 45 mph. If the town were to get what it is asking for that would change to 35 mph — but the 85th percentile speed for this stretch is 57 mph.
The town also appears to want a lower speed on Dow Road heading towards Kure Beach decreasing the speed from 55 mph to 45 mph, despite the 85th percentile speed being closer to 65 mph.
This is not the first time these changes have been discussed and in the past, the NCDOT has outright refused to lower the speed limits on Dow Road claiming the road was not in either Kure Beach or Carolina Beach town limits.
Back in 2017, the NCDOT was proposing to lower the speed limit on Dow Road to 45 mph after one resident emailed the state and requested it. Both towns, Kure and Carolina Beach responded negatively to the state’s recommendation.
The NCDOT sent a letter to the Town of Carolina Beach that said, “Although the technical warrants are not met to lower the speed limit on SR 1573 (Dow Road), based on the site visit, roadway characteristics, and to maintain consistency along the route, we recommend a 45 m.p.h. speed limit.”
Former Town Manager Michael Cramer in response said, “NCDOT never reached out to the town to discuss this citizen’s request or if we supported the conclusion. We talked to the traffic engineer this morning about this issue and she stated that, because it is a state system street, NCDOT doesn’t have to talk to us to make this change. Given the fact that the town has not discussed this issue before, I don’t know what council thinks about the change from 55 to 45. I am concerned that we were not given the common decency to comment on the potential change.”
And former Mayor of Kure Beach Emilie Swearingen said in an email to the NCDOT, “I’m a little concerned that DOT would change the speed limit in our extraterritorial jurisdiction based on a request from one citizen who could own property on the island but may not even live in New Hanover County. Do you ever discuss these decisions with local officials before making a final decision?”
Eventually, the NCDOT changed its tune on the lowering of the speed limits and decided not to take any action on the road. It is unclear if the Town of Carolina Beach is actively pursuing the speed limit changes proposed on the map included in the upcoming Town Council agenda packet, but it does appear that Lake Park Boulevard will be seeing a slower speed limit soon.
