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Traffic

These are the speed limits in the city of Lakewood:

  • 25 mph in a business district
  • 30 mph in a residential district
  • 15 mph in an alley   

The city engineer may increase or decrease the speed limit on city streets if there are road features that affect safety. For example, the speed limit on Garrison St. is 35 mph except in those sections that have multiple driveways with access to the street. In those areas, the speed limit is 30. 

Transportation engineers may post other speed limits, but they are always based on studies that include an analysis of roadway conditions, crash history and the typical speed of prudent drivers. 

Studies show that motorists tend to pay little attention to speed limit signs they consider unreasonable unless there is a very high degree of enforcement by police. The majority of drivers will disregard speed limits that are set too low. 

If you are concerned about speeding on your street, the city has several ways to slow down drivers. The method used will vary depending on the road classification.

Roads are classified according to their functions and capacities. They may be designated as freeways, arterials, collectors, locals or private streets.

Freeways

At the top of the hierarchy are freeways and expressways -- 6th Avenue, US 285, I-70 and C-470. These roads are designed for high speeds and a high number of vehicles. The traffic unit of the Lakewood Police Department monitors speeds on freeways that travel through Lakewood.

Arterials

Next are arterials such as Wadsworth Boulevard and Alameda Parkway. Arterials are major through roads that are expected to carry large volumes of traffic.

The Lakewood Police Department provides enforcement of speed limits on these roads. You may also request the placement of a temporary or permanent speed display sign.

Collectors

These roads collect traffic from local roads and distribute it to arterials. Examples are 20th Avenue, Yale Avenue between Sheridan Boulevard and Kipling Street, and Garrison Street between Hampden Avenue and Colfax Avenue.

The Lakewood Police Department provides enforcement of speed limits on these roads. You may also request the placement of a temporary or permanent speed display sign.

Local Roads

These roads have the lowest speed limit and carry lower volumes of traffic. The speed limit on most local streets is 30 mph; however, on some it is lower due to road features such as curves that affect safety.

You may request a traffic study to see if your road qualifies for a speed hump or you may request the temporary speed display sign.  

 Private Roads

These roads are not maintained or monitored by the City.

If you are concerned about speeding, you can request speed enforcement from the Lakewood Police Department by calling Jeffcom Dispatch, 303-980-7300 or by entering a request below.

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According to City Resolution 2007-58(PDF, 205KB), permanent speed display signs can be installed on arterial and collector streets.

These are some arterials in Lakewood:

  • Kipling Parkway
  • Alameda Parkway
  • West Colfax Avenue
  • West Jewell Avenue

These are some collectors:

  • West Mississippi Avenue
  • West Florida Avenue
  • Garrison St.
  • West 20th Avenue
  • West 26th Avenue

The average daily traffic must exceed 2,000 vehicles a day and a speed and volume study must show that 85 percent of the vehicles are traveling at least 5 mph or greater over the speed limit.

If the street meets the requirements of the resolution, the resident requesting the signs will receive a petition to circulate among the residents of the street. The cost of the signs is shared 90/10, with the city paying 90 percent and the residents requesting the sign paying 10 percent. The average cost of a pair of signs is $18,000 - $20,000.

To request a speed and volume study to see if your street qualifies, submit a request below.

Permanent Speed Display Sign

 

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Temporary speed display signs can be placed on collectors and locals.

These are some collectors:

  • Garrison Street
  • West 26th Avenue
  • West 20th Avenue
  • West Mississippi Avenue
  • West Florida Avenue

To request a sign for the street you live on, fill out the form on Request Lakewood below.

Temporary Speed Display Sign

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Speed humps are only allowed on local streets that are not considered emergency response routes by West Metro Fire District.  Resolution-2000-98-Speed-Humps.pdf(PDF, 145KB) sets the criteria for the installation of speed humps.

speed-hump.jpg

If you would like to request a speed and volume study to see if your street qualifies for a speed hump, please submit a request through Request Lakewood. You must live on a street to request a speed hump on that street.

If the study shows that the street meets the requirements for traffic volume and speed violation, we will send you a petition to circulate among your neighbors. A minimum of 95 percent of the households in the block must sign the petition and 80 percent must be in favor of the hump. 

The installation costs associated with speed humps are shared 50/50 with one-half paid by homeowners. The city pays the other half and all maintenance costs. Cost is determined by the size of the speed hump as determined by a traffic engineer.

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