Fountain Avenue Will Get 15 MPH Speed Limit This Summer

HOLLYWOOD, CA — The speed limit on a stretch of Fountain Avenue and several other Hollywood streets will be lowered to 15 mph by early summer under a program approved by the City Council on Wednesday.

The council unanimously approved a plan to implement 15 mph speed limits on 343 streets surrounding 201 schools citywide. The plan directs city crews to install signs reflecting the new speed limits by July 1; officials estimate the signs will be erected in six to 10 weeks.

The signs would indicate the 15 mph speed limits are in effect "when children are present."

Among the roads impacted in Hollywood is Fountain Avenue, which is set to have a 15 mph speed limit between Van Ness Avenue and St. Andrews Place.

Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez described the plan as an "urgent and necessary step."

"Traffic collisions are the leading cause of death for youth ages 2 to 14, and nearly 56% of fatal and serious injury crashes ... happen within a quarter mile of a school," she said.

Under state law, cities can set a speed limit near a school that is lower than the speed limit in the surrounding neighborhood.

While the school zone speed limit is 25 mph, the state's regulations allow for 15 mph school zones on streets that meet specific criteria, according to the Department of Transportation. The reduced speed limit only applies while children are attending or leaving school.

The city's efforts are being guided by the Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan, which was introduced in 2012 to implement data-driven processes and improve safety around campuses. City and school officials developed a methodology to identify schools in need.

In 2016, city officials established 15 mph school zone speed limits at 11 of the top 50 LAUSD schools in critical need of such safety treatments. By August 2023, another 98 street segments adjacent to 44 schools, including any of the remaining top 50 schools, were provided with updated school zone speed limits.

Mayor Karen Bass' adopted 2023-24 budget expanded funding for more school safety measures for another 201 schools.

Several of the streets are found on the city's High Injury Network, which identifies corridors with a high concentration of collisions that result in severe injuries and deaths, as well those involving pedestrians and cyclists.

City News Service contributed to this report.