Concord City Council Set to Talk Speed Limits

At its August 26 meeting, the Concord City Council is set to talk speed limits that could be adjusted throughout the city.

The move comes after the transportation division evaluated all roadways in the city with posted speed limits above the prima facie 25 mph. Similar roadway segments were consolidated into speed zones for analysis. In total, 92 speed zones were identified citywide . An E&TS was conducted for each of these zones to determine safe, reasonable, and enforceable speed limits.

According to the staff report, in general, speed limits are determined using the 85th percentile speed, which is the speed at or below which 85% of free-flowing drivers are observed to travel

Concord Municipal Code Section 10.20.080 currently identifies a total of 91 speed zones throughout the city where speeds can be set higher than the 25 mph prima facie speed based on an E&TS. The entire city was reassessed to determine additions, modifications, and eliminations to the current 91 speed zones. Based on this review, the Transportation Division recommends four (4) speed zones be removed, six (6) speed zones be added, and 30 speed zones be modified.

Per the staff report, here is the rundown:

Speed Zone Removals

• Campus Road3 from Pine Hollow Road to Ygnacio Valley Road – Recommended for removal, as this roadway is not part of the public right-of-way; it is owned and maintained by Cal State East Bay. Additionally, Concord Police do not conduct enforcement on this segment, making inclusion in the City’s speed zone inventory unnecessary.
• Hitchcock Road from Court Lane to Kaski Lane – Recommended for removal, as this is a local roadway located within the core of a residential district, where the 25 mph prima facie speed limit is applicable and enforceable without the need for an E&TS.
• Ridge Park Drive from Cowell Road to Cowell Road – Recommended for removal since the roadway experiences such low traffic volumes that the required sample size of 50 vehicles could not be obtained to support an enforceable E&TS. Given its classification as a local street within a residential area, the 25 mph prima facie speed limit applies and is enforceable without an E&TS.
• Rolling Woods Way from Crystyl Ranch Drive to the Boundary of Crystyl Ranch Subdivision – Recommended for removal since this segment is a local roadway located in the heart of a residential district and a 25 mph prima facie speed limit is applicable and enforceable without an E&TS. In contrast, the adjacent segment of Rolling Woods Drive from the Crystyl Ranch subdivision to Pine Hollow Road remains designated as a speed zone since it lacks direct residential frontage making enforcement under the residential district provision impossible.

Speed Zone Additions

• Crystyl Ranch Drive from Ygnacio Valley Road to Hiddencrest Court– Recommended to be added since this segment currently has a posted speed limit higher than 25 mph but is not included in the City’s existing list of established speed zones rendering the speed limit unenforceable. Inclusion in the municipal code with E&TS documentation will provide the legal basis for enforcement.
• East Street from Pacheco Street to Clayton Road – Recommended to be added since this segment is classified as an arterial roadway and does not qualify as a residential district. Additionally, it does not meet the criteria outlined in the CVC for designation as a business activity district, which would otherwise permit enforcement of the 25 mph prima facie speed limit. Establishing this segment as a speed zone through an E&TS is necessary to enable legal enforcement of the speed limit.
• Mohr Lane from Monument Boulevard to David Avenue – Recommended for addition since the roadway is classified as a major collector and serves as a transit route. Establishing this segment as a speed zone through an E&TS will provide a legally enforceable speed limit to support safe operations and effective enforcement.
• Olivera Road from Hillsborough Drive to Hamilton Avenue – Recommended for addition since the roadway is classified as an arterial/collector, carries a high volume of non-local traffic, and is adjacent to a school. Establishing this segment as a speed zone through an E&TS will allow for a legally enforceable speed limit to enhance safety.
• Salvio Street from Port Chicago Highway to Olivera Road – Salvio Street is a collector roadway adjacent to a mix of municipal facilities including City Hall, the public library, Olympic High School, the Willow Pass Center, and residential areas. Due to the mixed nature of surrounding land uses and classification as a collector road, enforcement cannot rely on the residential prima facie speed limit. Establishing a speed zone through an E&TS would create a legally enforceable speed limit and support effective speed management along the corridor
• Willow Pass Road from Galindo Street to Parkside Drive – This segment of Willow Pass Road is not included within any established speed zone supported by an E&TS making the speed limit unenforceable. Adding this segment as a designated speed zone will establish an enforceable speed limit on Willow Pass Road as it traverses the downtown Concord area.

Speed Zone Modifications – Modifications are proposed to 30 speed zones to change the boundaries of the zones or combine two zones to better align with current roadway and land use characteristics. These zones along with how the boundary is proposed to be modified are included in Attachment 3.

Attachment 4 contains a list of all the proposed speed zones as a result if this analysis effort which includes a total of 92 segments — see attachment 4.

Increased Speed Limits (3 Segments)

• Crystyl Ranch Drive from Ygnacio Valley Road to Hiddencrest Court (35 mph to 45 mph) – The speed limit was increased to 45 mph due to the adjacent land use consisting primarily of open fields and the results of the speed survey, which indicated that a lower speed limit would not be enforceable. Setting the speed limit at 45 mph aligns with the prevailing speeds of the majority of drivers and enables Concord Police to enforce violations involving excessive speeding.
• Rolling Woods Way from Pine Hollow Road to northernmost boundary of the Crystyl Ranch development (30 mph to 35 mph) – The speed limit was increased to 35 mph based on speed survey data and because there are no residential units directly fronting the street. Establishing the speed limit at 35 mph aligns with the prevailing travel speeds and enables Concord Police to enforce excessive speeding violations, which would not be feasible with a lower speed limit.
• Turtle Creek Road from Treat Boulevard to Swallow Tail Road (30 mph to 35 mph) – This speed zone currently includes a mix of posted speed limits including 30 mph between Treat Boulevard and Fallbrook Drive and 35 mph between Fallbrook Drive and Swallow Tail Court. However, the collected speed data does not support a 30 mph limit in the first segment, rendering it legally unenforceable. Standardizing the entire speed zone at 35 mph aligns with prevailing driver speeds and establishes an enforceable speed limit. This enables Concord Police to take action against excessive speeding.

Decreased Speed Limits (20 Segments)

• Alberta Way from Clayton Road to Ygnacio Valley Road (35 mph to 25 mph) – Speed limit reduced due to proximity to Clayton Valley Charter High School.
• Ayers Road from Ygnacio Valley Road to Clayton Road (35 mph to 30 mph) – Speed limit reduced due to proximity to Newhall Park.
• Babel Lane from Clayton Road to Cowell Road (35 mph to 30 mph) – Speed limit reduced due to proximity to El Monte Elementary School.
• Burnett Avenue from Highway 680 Northbound on/off ramp to John Glenn Drive (35 mph to 30 mph) – Speed limit reduced to better align with prevailing speeds and dense commercial land uses.
• Clayton Road from Galindo Street to Oakland Avenue (35 mph to 30 mph) – Speed limit reduced due to the downtown nature of the speed zone and to make it consistent with Concord Boulevard which is the other half of the couplet through downtown.
• Concord Avenue from Market Street to Salvio Street (35 mph to 30 mph) – Speed limit lowered due to multimodal activity that occurs in the downtown area.
• Cowell Road from Monument Boulevard to Babel Lane (35 mph to 30 mph) – Speed limit lowered to account for pedestrian and bicycle activity at Krueger Fields, Canal Trail Crossing, and Concord Community Park.
• David Avenue from Oak Grove Road to Bancroft Road (40 mph to 35 mph) – Speed limit reduced since roadway has a pedestrian bridge to Oak Grove Middle School and there are several houses with driveways directly fronting David Avenue.
• Galaxy Way from Commerce Avenue to Via De Mercados (30 mph to 25 mph) – Speed limit reduced based on prevailing speed of vehicles and the adjacent De La Salle Academy.
• Galindo Street from Monument Boulevard to Salvio Street (35 mph to 30 mph) – Speed limit lowered due to multimodal activity that occurs in the downtown area.
• Grant Street from High School Avenue to Solano Way (35 mph to 30 mph) – Speed limit reduced due to proximity to high pedestrian/bicycle generating uses such as Mount Diablo High School and the John Muir Medical Campus.
• Kirker Pass Road from City Limit to Myrtle Drive (55 mph to 50 mph) – Speed limit reduced to better align with prevailing speeds and to align with the 50 mph speed zone over Kirker Pass implemented in the county section.
• Laura Alice Way from Arnold Industrial Way to Nelson Avenue (35 mph to 30 mph) – Speed limit reduced to better align with speed limit on Peralta Road which is the continuation of Laura Alice Way on the other side of SR 4.
• Marsh Drive from Solano Way to City Limit (45 mph to 40 mph) – The speed limit was reduced to help moderate vehicle speeds as drivers enter Concord and approach Solano Way, promoting a smoother and safer transition into the urban roadway environment.
• Meadow Lane from Market Street to Monument Boulevard (35 mph to 30 mph) – The speed limit was reduced to better reflect the residential character of the surrounding land uses and to enhance safety for all users following the installation of bicycle facilities along the roadway.
• Minert Road from Oak Grove Road to City Limit (40 mph to 35 mph) – Speed limit reduced due to speed zone being adjacent to Oak Grove Middle School.
• Oak Grove Road from Junction Drive to City Limit (40 mph to 35 mph) – Speed limit reduced to better align with prevailing speeds.
• Oakland Avenue from Clayton Road to Mt Diablo Street (30 mph to 25 mph) – Speed limit lowered due to proximity with the Concord BART station.
• Port Chicago Highway from Panoramic Drive to City Limit (45 mph to 40 mph) – Reduced speed limit justified based on the latest speed survey data.
• West Street from Clayton Road to Concord Boulevard (30 mph to 25 mph) – Speed limit reduced due to residential nature of the street and its close proximity to Westwood Elementary School, El Dorado Middle School, and the St Agness School.

Within the agenda item, Attachment 6 shows the speed zones where speed limit changes are proposed while Attachment 7 shows a map of the proposed speed limits should the ordinance be adopted.

If You Go:

• Concord City Council
• August 26, 2025
• 6:30 pm
• 1950 Parkside Drive, Concord CA
• Agenda – click here