A city committee wants to cut the speed limit on Verda, responding to citizens’ concerns about children and pedestrian safety.
Speeding on Northeast Verda Lane is an “ongoing problem,” according to Tammy Kunz, president of the Greater Northeast Keizer Neighborhood Association. “We have had concerns on speeding and increased traffic safety concerns for our families who have children going to and from school,” she wrote in a letter to the Traffic Safety, Bikeways, and Pedestrian Committee.
The committee considered the speed issue on Thursday, Feb. 15, and voted to reduce Verda Lane’s speed limit to 20 mph.
Residents including Bill White, Richard Moore, Naomi Rodriguez, and Danaya McGanty have raised concerns since 2023, Kunz said. They worry about speeding and more traffic on the stretch between Northeast Lochaven Drive and Chemawa Road at the roundabout.
“We’ve seen people passing cars going the speed limit in front of our house,” said Robert Parker, who has lived on Verda Lane for over 20 years. Now, with increased traffic from the Verda Crossing apartments, Parker feels insecure crossing the street to collect his mail.
“We just feel really unsafe,” added his wife Lisa Parker.
Keizer Police Officer Martin Powell confirmed the increased traffic in a survey he conducted on Verda Lane. Powell said 1,100 cars drive on Verda daily, which was more than years previous.
However, his study didn’t find an increase in speeding, where the limit is 25 mph.
According to his study, half of cars on Verda drive at 26.5 mph, and 15% drive at 31 mph.
Although Powell believes that “targeted enforcement” on Verda could solve the problem, committee members agreed that the Keizer City Council should cut the speed limit.
To do this, the council must approve the traffic committee’s recommendation and hire a state-certified traffic engineer. The engineer will then submit a traffic survey to the Oregon Department of Transportation, which must approve speed changes.
Kunz wrote that “Keizer Road, McLeod, and Claggett have all shared speeding and reckless driving concerns.”
By hiring a state-certified engineer, the city can better address any traffic concern in Keizer, not just Verda Lane.
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