The safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists is a priority in the City. The move towards lower speed limits in residential areas is a trend that is moving through other communities in the metro area, including the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul in 2020, who both recently adopted 20mph citywide speed limits on most residential roadways.

Effective 10/2021 the speed limit on city residential streets is 20 mph, unless otherwise marked.

In addition to creating consistency with neighboring communities, data show that pedestrian fatalities reduce dramatically when vehicle speeds are reduced to 20mph.

• A person hit at 20 miles per hour has a 13% likelihood of suffering a severe injury or dying.
• A person hit at 30 miles per hour has a 40% likelihood of suffering a severe injury or dying.
• A person hit at 40 miles per hour has a 73% likelihood of suffering a severe injury or dying.

Local Authority of Cities
In 2019, the Minnesota legislature adopted policy allowing cities the authority to set speed limits within their jurisdiction. This law applies to roads that are owned and maintained by the City; it does not apply to Ramsey County or Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) roadways. 

Context
In 2020, the City's engineering department conducted a traffic speed study of various roadways in Falcon Heights. The data collected from the study, along with anecdotal data from other local and national sources informed a report that was presented to Council in draft form this Spring. The City also administered a survey to gather resident feedback on 20mph speed limits. Results were compiled and discussed with Council.