HOLMES BEACH – Drivers beware. You’ll have to hit the brakes a little more than usual when driving through Holmes Beach.
Commissioners voted three-to-one to pass a resolution on Feb. 8 lowering the speed limit to 25 miles per hour on all city-maintained streets. The change takes effect as soon as Police Chief Bill Tokajer can have the 35 mph signs in the city removed.
Commissioner Kim Rash was absent from the Feb. 8 commission meeting and Commissioner Jayne Christenson voted against lowering the speed limit.
During commission discussion, Commissioner Terry Schaefer said he thinks lowering the speed limit city-wide will also lower the chance of vehicular accidents resulting in injuries.
Christenson argued that lowering the speed limit won’t reduce congestion on Holmes Beach streets. She said it would prevent people from driving faster in areas where it was permitted when traffic congestion isn’t an issue. Those sentiments were echoed by two residents who stepped up to speak on the subject during public comment.
“You’re penalizing the residents who live here, work here and are trying to get home,” Christenson said. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
Instead, she suggested having a 25 mph speed limit during the day and a 35 mph speed limit at night.
Commissioner Pat Morton said the traffic in Holmes Beach doesn’t stop after dark and he thinks it’s up to city leaders to bring some safety back to city streets regarding drivers.
By lowering the speed limit, low-speed vehicles and golf carts are permitted to be driven on all city streets except Manatee Avenue and East Bay Drive, which are state roads, where the speed limit is set by the Florida Department of Transportation. Holmes Beach is the only Anna Maria Island city where golf carts are allowed to be driven. A golf cart is not required to be registered with the state and does not have a license plate.
Commissioner Carol Soustek said the different kinds of vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists and other users on city roads and sidewalks led her to believe that lowering the speed limit to 25 mph would help curb some of the safety issues on city streets.
“We’ve got to do something,” she said, adding that changing the speed limit wouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all solution but that she thinks it would give drivers more peace of mind on the road. If it doesn’t produce the desired results, Soustek said the decision could be revisited by commissioners in the future.
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