Camellia Boulevard speed limit at issue; join the conversation
5-year debate tangles residents, City-Parish Council; traffic study to decide if 35 mph is too slow




Amanda McElfresh
theadvertiser
 
A nearly five-year debate over the speed limit on Camellia Boulevard is heating up again. Currently, the speed limit is 35 miles per hour. Some officials and nearby residents believe that limit is too low for a four-lane, wide-laned road and have suggested that a 40- or 45-mph limit would better suit the roadway. Others say that raising the speed limit would be dangerous, both for residents and drivers, and would not result in any significant changes in driving times.

"Can you go faster on that road? Sure. Is it safe to go faster on that road? No," said Pat Briney, a Steiner Road residents who long has spoken out about the speed limit. "If you make the speed limit 45 (mph), then that's going to mean people are going to go 55, and the road is not designed for 55."

Officials are hoping a traffic study next month will settle the issue. The speed limit was set as part of an agreement between residents and the City-Parish Council when the boulevard was completed in September 2003. But the limit was set without traffic or engineering studies being conducted, as is the case when setting speed limits on most other roads in the city.

"This was an attempt to negotiate the need for the project and at the same time provide assurance that speed was something that was being considered in the process," said Tony Tramel, traffic and transportation director for Lafayette Consolidated Government.
Although disagreements about the speed limit have lingered since 2003, the controversy was stirred again earlier this month, when the City-Parish Council voted to allow Tramel's office to conduct a formal traffic study on Camellia, which could result in the speed limit being increased.

Outgoing Councilman Rob Stevenson said he was concerned that decision would reflect the council going back on a promise to area residents. "I'm concerned that when negotiating with a neighborhood in the future, that those neighborhoods and the people in them will be deterred by what is proposed here tonight," Stevenson said. "I don't believe the spirit of the agreement is being observed. I think the people have a right to feel comfortable that when they make an agreement with the government, that government is going to live up to that agreement."

But outgoing Councilman Randy Menard, reading from documents at the Dec. 4 council meeting, said the agreement only states that the council would hold public hearings if it decided that the speed limit needed to be addressed. "We're not breaking a promise; we are keeping our agreement," Menard said. "We did introduce the ordinance at a public meeting, and no one signed up to speak. This meeting is also a public hearing, and people can address it."

One of those addressing the issue was architect Steve Oubre, who designed River Ranch. Oubre said he didn't think the 35 miles per hour limit should be increased. As an experiment, Oubre said he drove on Camellia from Kaliste Saloom Road to Johnston Street at 35 miles per hour, then again at 45 miles per hour. Oubre said he only saved 12 seconds when driving at the higher speed. "Is it really worth 12 seconds? I would argue it is not," Oubre said. "This is not only about traffic. It is about the pedestrians and about the quality of life of the residents.

It is really not that important to go 45 miles per hour. Thirty-five is quite functional." Lance Bennett, minister at Riverside Church of Christ on Camellia near Johnston Street, also said he would like to see the speed limit remain at 35 miles per hour. "For the safety of our church members, especially when they're pulling out, we'd like to keep it at 35," Bennett said. "There's a lot of traffic on there, and pulling out can be difficult as it is." But others say they believe the 35 miles per hour limit is too slow for Camellia, considering the design and use of the road.
Vernon Miller, who lives on Eastland Drive just off of Camellia, said he thinks the speed limit should be increased. "I think it's a little too slow right now," he said. "A lot of people go 45 (miles per hour) anyway, and I think 45 is alright. It wouldn't bother me." Bob Sandberg, another Eastland Drive resident, also said he doesn't agree with the current speed l imit. "It's too slow for a four-lane road," he said. "I think they should probably raise it." Tramel said he would not make a guess as to what the speed limit should be. "I am going to do the required engineering studies and analysis, and we'll provide a report once that data is put together," he said.


HOME