Speed limits in most Pittsburgh parks dropping to 15 mph

Pittsburgh City Council voted Tuesday to reduce the speed limit in the city’s parks to 15 mph, down from 25 mph.

The measure allows the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure to make exceptions. Councilman Bobby Wilson, who sponsored the bill, said there will likely be higher speed limits on two or three stretches of main roads that run through parks. There are 58 sections of road that run through city parks altogether.

“I’m looking forward to reduced speed,” Wilson said.

The goal is to make parks safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, Wilson said when he introduced the measure earlier this month.

He cited statistics from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety showing that the average risk of a severe injury when a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle is 25% when the vehicle is traveling at 23 mph, versus 50% when the vehicle is moving at 31 mph. The risk of severe injury drops to 10% when the vehicle is traveling at 16 mph.

Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, a co-sponsor of the legislation, called the measure “well overdue.”

All council members present at Tuesday’s meeting approved the measure. Councilman Corey O’Connor was not present for the vote.