Slower Speeds, Safer Emeryville

Published on May 01, 2026

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The Emeryville City Council adopted new, lower speed limits on April 21, advancing the City’s commitment to safer, more people-friendly streets. The Ordinance and speed limits will go into effect 30 days after adoption, with new signage being installed along affected roadway segments in the coming weeks.

This effort builds on the Engineering and Traffic Survey completed in Fall 2025, which evaluated 19 roadway segments. The update was supported by Assembly Bill 43 (AB 43), which allows cities to consider surrounding land uses, such as schools, parks, senior centers, and business districts, as well as areas with high bicycle and pedestrian activity when setting speed limits.

As a result, several streets will now have posted speeds of:

  • 15 mph (45th St., 47th St./Steve Dain Dr., 59th St., 61st St., 62nd St., Doyle St., Overland Ave., Stanford Ave.)
  • 20 mph (66th St., 67th St., Adeline St., Beaudry St., Halleck St., Hollis St., Peladeau St., Shellmound St., Vallejo St.)
  • 25 mph (Powell St.)

Lower speeds save lives. About 75% of pedestrian fatalities occur on roads with speed limits of 30 mph or higher. A driver traveling at 30 mph who strikes a pedestrian has about a 45% chance of causing serious injury or death, compared to roughly 5% at 20 mph. Similarly, the risk of a bicyclist being killed by a vehicle doubles at 30 mph. Slower speeds also give drivers more time to see and react to people walking and biking.

With these updates, combined with the last round of speed limit changes in 2024, 51% of Emeryville’s streets are now at speeds below 25 mph. These changes represent an important step toward a safer, more livable Emeryville for everyone.

Questions? Contact the Public Works Department at 510-596-4300 or via email at public_works@emeryville.org. 

 

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