TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Adam Lindsay, ICMA-CM, Assistant City Manager
FROM: Brian McGill, P.E., PTOE, Assistant Public Services Director - Traffic Services
DATE: August 11, 2025
RE:
Title
Approval of Speed Ordinance Revision on West Rowan Street
end
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
2
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal I: The City of Fayetteville will be a safe and secure community.
Objective 1.2: To ensure traffic and pedestrian safety.
Goal IV: The City of Fayetteville will be a highly desirable place to live, work and recreate.
Objective 4.5: To ensure a place for people to live in great neighborhoods.
Executive Summary:
City Council unanimously passed the motion at the August 4, 2025 Council Work Session to place the Council Member Request for West Rowan Street’s speed limit reduction from 35 mph to 25 mph on the August 11, 2025 Regular Council Session consent agenda.
Should this speed limit reduction proceed, it would apply for the entirety of West Rowan Street, from its intersection with NC 24 (Bragg Boulevard) to its intersection with Oakridge Avenue.
Background:
The current speed limit on West Rowan Street is 35 mph, matching the City-wide statutory speed limit. West Rowan Street is a two-lane, City-owned and maintained, approximately 0.68-mile-long road. It has sidewalks sporadically throughout the corridor, and multi-use lanes along the majority of the road west of US 401 Business (MLK Boulevard). NCDOT defines West Rowan Street as a “local” road. The land-use abutting the road is primarily residential west, and commercial or recreation east, of the bridge over US 401 Business (MLK Boulevard).
The requested speed limit reduction would apply for the entirety of the road, from its intersection with NC 24 (Bragg Boulevard) to Oakridge Avenue. West Rowan Street is the only road that would have its speed limit revised with this agenda item; NC 24 (Bragg Boulevard), Oakridge Avenue, and all neighborhood roadways that branch off from West Rowan Street would remain their respective speed limits.
West Rowan Street has received periodic requests for various traffic calming measures, namely speed humps and stop sign requests. Following the City’s Residential Traffic Management Program (RTMP) for Speed Humps, attached to this agenda item, speed humps cannot be installed on roads that are posted greater than 25 mph. For this location to receive speed humps, its speed limit would have to be reduced. For a city-owned road to have its speed limit reduced in the City of Fayetteville, in this case from 35 mph to 25 mph, then City Council Policy 160.3 would apply. City Council Policy 160.3 is attached to this agenda item for reference.
Based on City Council Policy 160.3, to-date, staff have not received a petition to reduce the speed limit for West Rowan Street, nor have knowledge of one being started.
Following the City’s RTMP for Multi-Way Stops, attached to this agenda item, a criterion for installation is three or more accidents that are correctable by the installation of stop signs. The requests we’ve received for West Rowan Street have not indicated three or more accidents that are correctable by the installation of stop signs.
There may be some who wish to use stop signs to control speeding. The City is unable to do this as we have officially adopted the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) per Chapter 16, Motor Vehicles and Traffic, Article I, In General, Section 16-2, Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and Supplement, Adopted. Section 2B.06 line 06 of the MUTCD states stop signs should not be used as a speed control and is attached to this agenda item for reference.
City Council unanimously passed the motion at the August 4, 2025 Council Work Session to place West Rowan Street’s speed limit reduction from 35 mph to 25 mph on the August 11, 2025 Regular Council Session consent agenda.
Issues/Analysis:
NCDOT’s “S-40_Brochure” says the following with regard to lowering speed limits in an effort to reduce speeding:
“Many people believe that lowering speed limits will reduce motorist speed. However, changing the speed limit is not always the best option. Speed limits are set at a limit that the roadway can safely accommodate by design, the majority of drivers will obey, and law enforcement can reasonably enforce. Engineering studies have shown that there are often no significant changes in vehicle speeds following the posting of an artificially reduced speed limit. This information shows that most motorists drive at the speed they consider to be comfortable and safe. If motorists are regularly exceeding the posted speed limit through an area, enforcement is key to ensuring compliance. Lowering the speed limit by itself cannot guarantee motorists will obey the new regulation.”
From the most recent study performed on this road, in 2022, the average daily traffic (ADT) was 1,100 vehicles per day east of Hinsdale Avenue, and 1,800 vehicles per day west of Hinsdale Avenue. The average speed was 27 mph east of Hinsdale Avenue, and 30 mph west of Hinsdale Avenue, respectively. The 85th percentile speed at both locations was 36 mph.
85th percentile speed is the term used to reflect the speed at or below which 85 percent of traffic is moving.
These studies indicate that most travelers on this road are not speeding based on the current speed limit. As advised by NCDOT’s S-40 brochure, by reducing the speed limit with no other enforcement or changes to the physical roadway in the area, staff expect “…no significant changes in vehicle speeds following the posting of an artificially reduced speed limit.”
Should the speed limit be reduced and no significant changes in vehicle speeds be observed, staff expect citizens to submit an RTMP request for speed humps. The request for speed humps to slow traffic speeds is expected to qualify given the expectation that reducing the speed limit will not reduce vehicle speeds alone.
Staff have concern with installing speed humps on West Rowan Street due to the grade or slope of the road, specifically east of US 401 Business (MLK). Per the Institute of Transportation Engineers “A Guide to Vertical Deflection Speed Reduction Techniques: Planning and Design of Speed Humps, Speed Tables and Other Related Measures” speed humps “…are normally not considered for use on street with grades of 8 percent or more approaching the hump.” Based on Cumberland County GIS’s web map and contours, grades were measured up to 7 percent on West Rowan Street. Should the speed limit reduction be approved and a subsequent speed hump request be made and qualify, more accurate grades will be collected after further review to determine speed hump placement.
Chapter 16, Motor Vehicles and Traffic, Article III, Traffic Schedules, Section 16-61, Traffic Schedules Adopted; City Manager Authorized to Compile., requires Council approve changes to these ordinances. Should this agenda item be approved, the speed limit revision for West Rowan Street will be reflected in item 12 - Speed Control.
Budget Impact:
There is no noticeable impact to the budget for this change. All sign installation and maintenance costs will be within the existing Engineering and Infrastructure operating budget.
Options:
• Adopt the ordinance revision
• Reject the ordinance revision
Recommended Action:
Per City Council unanimously placing this item on the consent agenda, adopt the ordinance revision.
Attachments:
West Rowan Street - Speed Limit Reduction Ordinance
City Council Policy 160.3
MUTCD Excerpt
rtmp-speedhump_final
rtmp-multiwaystop_final
S-40_Brochure
Study Area Map