Drivers heading to shops along San Rafael's Miracle Mile and the Andersen Drive commercial corridor would need to slow down under a city proposal headed to the City Council on Monday, July 20.
The plan would cut the speed limit from 35 mph to 30 mph on Fourth Street between the western city limit and Second Street, a stretch lined with restaurants, retail, and service businesses. Two segments of Andersen Drive flanking the East San Rafael commercial area would also drop from 35 mph to 30 mph: one between Lindaro Street and Francisco Boulevard West, and another between Bellam Boulevard and the Marin Sanitary Service facility.
April Miller, San Rafael's director of public works, said the reductions are tied to the relationship between vehicle speed and the severity of pedestrian crashes. The city conducted new engineering and traffic surveys over the past two years to support the changes, as required under California law.
The proposal is Phase 2 of a citywide effort under Assembly Bill 43, a state law that took effect in 2022 giving cities more flexibility to lower speed limits in business and residential districts. Phase 1, completed last year, already posted 20 mph signs on the downtown core of Fourth Street, Fifth Avenue, and Mission Avenue, and 30 mph signs on Second Street. The city reduced limits on 24 road segments in that first round and is still installing some of those signs, with work the city says will finish by the end of 2026.
The Phase 2 Fourth Street segment is distinct from the downtown stretch that already carries a 20 mph limit. It covers the western portion of the corridor running toward San Anselmo, where the posted speed has remained at 35 mph.
In all, Phase 2 covers 18 segments across the city, including reductions on Point San Pedro Road, Third Street, Lincoln Avenue, Los Gamos Drive, and others. The Fourth Street and Andersen Drive changes would directly affect the Miracle Mile shopping district and the East San Rafael commercial area, corridors that carry heavy retail, restaurant, and commuter traffic.
The Marin County Bicycle Coalition and Walk/Bike San Rafael both support the proposal. Warren Wells, the coalition's policy and planning director, said lower limits reduce high-end speeding and the severity of crashes when they occur.
"If we want people to drive slower, we need to design streets that encourage slower speeds, not just post lower speed limits," Dave Rhoads, co-chair of Walk/Bike San Rafael, said Friday.
The City Council will take up the ordinance as a public hearing item at its 6 p.m. meeting Monday, July 20, at San Rafael Council Chambers, 1400 Fifth Avenue. Residents and business owners can attend in person, join online at tinyurl.com/city-council-2, call in at (669) 444-9171 (ID: 860-6190-5675), or email written comments to [email protected] before the meeting.
