High speeds are one of the main causes of traffic deaths in the U.S., a consequence of roads designed to funnel cars through cities as fast as possible with little regard for the safety of people in or outside the vehicle. Cities can improve their Bicycle Network Analysis Score by reducing travel speeds on neighborhood streets to 25 mph or less and reducing travel speeds on other roads to match the local context.
Case Study: ,
In November 2021, the town council in Flower Mound, Texas, a suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, voted to lower speed limits on all residential streets from 30 mph to 25 mph. Texas is particularly challenging for cities trying to reduce local speeds: state law requires speed limits of 30 mph on neighborhood streets unless posted. The state law means Flower Mound has to display a 25 mph speed limit sign on every neighborhood street, whereas cities in states with more flexible laws can change the default speed without posting a new sign on every street. Flower Mound’s Bicycle Network Analysis Score improved four points as a result of the residential speed limit reduction.
