HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2509-5231CITY OF PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
Monday, September 29, 2025
Council Chambers & Hybrid
5:30 PM
Agenda Item
14.SECOND READING: Ordinance Amending PAMC Chapter 10.56 (Special Speed Zones) to
Update Speed Limit Studies for 22 Streets and Decrease the Speed Limit for a Portion of
Deer Creek Road (FIRST READING: September 8,2025 PASSED: 7-0)
City Council
Staff Report
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: City Clerk
Meeting Date: September 29, 2025
Report #:2509-5231
TITLE
SECOND READING: Ordinance Amending PAMC Chapter 10.56 (Special Speed Zones) to Update
Speed Limit Studies for 22 Streets and Decrease the Speed Limit for a Portion of Deer Creek
Road (FIRST READING: September 8,2025 PASSED: 7-0)
BACKGROUND
The City Council heard this item on September 8, 2025 for a first reading and approved it on a
7-0 vote. No changes were made to the ordinance, and it is now before the City Council for a
second reading.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Ordinance Amending PAMC Chapter 10.56
APPROVED BY:
Mahealani Ah Yun, City Clerk
NOT YET APPROVED Attachment B
1
140_20250818_ts24
Ordinance No. _____
Ordinance of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Amending Sections of Chapter
10.56 (“Special Speed Zones”) of Title 10 (Vehicles and Traffic) to Reflect the
2024 Traffic Survey and Reduce the Speed Limit for a Portion of Deer Creek
Road.
The Council of the City of Palo Alto ORDAINS as follows:
SECTION 1. Findings and Declarations. The City Council finds and declares as follows:
A. In conjunction with this ordinance, the City Council approved the “2024 Engineering &
Traffic Survey” (Traffic Survey) for the City of Palo Alto. The survey was conducted by
TJKM under contract by the City.
B. Based on the findings of the Traffic Survey, the City now desires to amend the Palo Alto
Municipal Code (PAMC) through this ordinance to indicate the latest survey completion
date for 22 road segments and change the speed limit for one road segment – Deer Creek
Road – from 40 to 35 mph.
SECTION 2. Chapter 10.56.010 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to read
as follows (new text is underlined, deleted text is in strikethrough):
10.56.010 Twenty-five miles per hour prima facie speed limit justified.
It is determined that the state twenty-five miles per hour prima facie speed limit for business
or residence districts is justified, as required by state law, with respect to the following streets
or portions of streets by engineering and traffic surveys conducted by the city and completed
on the dates shown below:
Road Segment Name Survey Completion Date
Alma St from El Camino Real to University Ave September 2023June 2014
Amaranta Ave from Los Robles Ave to Maybell Ave November 2017
Arboretum Rd from Sand Hill Rd to Quarry Rd November 2017
Birch St from California Ave to Page Mill Exp November 2017
California Ave from Park Blvd to El Camino Real November 2017
California Ave from El Camino Real to Hanover St November 2017
Charleston Rd from Fabian Way to South City Limit September 2023June 2014
Charleston Rd from Middlefield Rd to Fabian Way September 2023
Charleston Rd from El Camino Real to Alma St September 2023
Channing Ave from W Bayshore Rd to Newell Rd November 2017
Channing Ave from Newell Rd to Guinda Ave November 2017
Channing Ave from Guinda Ave to Alma St November 2017
NOT YET APPROVED Attachment B
2
140_20250818_ts24
Charleston Rd from Alma St to Middlefield Rd September 2023November
2017
Churchill Ave from Embarcadero Rd to Alma St November 2017
Churchill Ave from Alma St to El Camino Real November 2017
Colorado Ave from W Bayshore Rd to Middlefield Rd November 2017
E Meadow Dr from W Bayshore Rd to Louis Rd November 2017
E Meadow Dr from Louis Rd to Alma St November 2017
El Camino Way from Los Robles Ave to Maybell Ave September 2023November
2017
Embarcadero Rd from El Camino Real to Alma St October 2023June 2014
Guinda Ave from Lytton Ave to Channing Ave November 2017
Hamilton Ave from Middlefield Rd to Alma St November 2017
High St from Lytton Ave to Channing Ave November 2017
Homer Ave from Guinda Ave to Alma St November 2017
Laguna Ave from Matadero Ave to Los Robles Ave November 2017
Lambert Ave from Park Blvd to El Camino Real November 2017
Loma Verde Ave from W Bayshore Rd to Middlefield
Rd
November 2017
Loma Verde Ave from Middlefield Rd to Alma St November 2017
Los Robles Ave from Laguna Ave to El Camino Real November 2017
Louis Rd from Embarcadero Rd to Oregon Exp November 2017
Louis Rd from Oregon Exp to Loma Verde Rd September 2023November
2017
Louis Rd from Loma Verde Rd to Charleston Rd September 2023November
2017
Lytton Ave from Alma St to Middlefield Rd November 2017
Matadero Ave from El Camino Real to Laguna Ave November 2017
Middlefield Rd from University Ave to Embarcadero
Rd
September 2023June 2014
Middlefield Rd from University Av to Northern City
Limits
September 2023
Middlefield Rd from Embarcadero Rd to Oregon Exp November 2017
Newell Rd from East City Limit to Channing Ave November 2017
Newell Rd from Channing Ave to Embarcadero Rd November 2017
N California Ave from Embarcadero Rd to
Middlefield Rd
September 2023November
2017
N California Ave from Middlefield Rd to Alma St November 2017
NOT YET APPROVED Attachment B
3
140_20250818_ts24
Park Blvd from California Ave to Lambert Ave September 2023November
2017
Peter Coutts Rd from Stanford Ave to Page Mill Rd November 2017
Porter Dr from Hillview Ave to Page Mill Rd September 2023November
2017
Quarry Rd from El Camino Real to Campus Dr October 2023November 2017
Stanford Ave from El Camino Real to Peter Coutts Rd November 2017
Stanford Ave from Peter Coutts Rd to Junipero Serra
Blvd
November 2017
University Ave from Middlefield Rd to Alma St November 2017
Waverley St from Lytton Ave to Channing Ave November 2017
Waverley St from Channing Ave to Embarcadero Rd November 2017
W Meadow Dr from Alma St to El Camino Way November 2017
SECTION 3. Chapter 10.56.015 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to
read as follows:
10.56.015 Thirty miles per hour prima facie speed limit.
It is determined and justified upon the basis of engineering and traffic surveys that a speed
greater than the twenty-five miles per hour prima facie speed limit set forth in Section 22352 of
the Vehicle Code of the state, would facilitate the orderly movement of vehicular traffic and
would be reasonable and safe under the conditions found to exist upon the streets, or portions
thereof, set forth in this section, and it is hereby declared that thirty miles per hour shall be the
prima facie speed limit upon these streets, or portions thereof, except for school zones, as
shown below:
Road Segment Name Survey Completion Date
Fabian Way from Charleston Rd to W Bayshore Rd September 2023June 2014
Hansen Way from El Camino Real to Page Mill Exp September 2023November 2017
Hanover St from Page Mill Rd to Hillview Ave September 2023June 2014
Hillview Ave from Hanover St to Foothill Exp September 2023June 2014
Sand Hill Rd from El Camino Real to Arboretum November 2017
W Bayshore Rd from Oregon Exp to Colorado Ave November 2017
SECTION 4. Chapter 10.56.020 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to
read as follows:
10.56.020 Thirty-five miles per hour prima facie speed limit.
It is determined and justified upon the basis of engineering and traffic surveys that a speed
greater than the twenty-five miles per hour prima facie speed limit set forth in Section 22352 of
NOT YET APPROVED Attachment B
4
140_20250818_ts24
the Vehicle Code of the state, would facilitate the orderly movement of vehicular traffic and
would be reasonable and safe under the conditions found to exist upon the streets, or portions
thereof, set forth in this section, and it is hereby declared that thirty-five miles per hour shall be
the prima facie speed limit upon these streets, or portions thereof, except for school zones, as
shown below:
Road Segment Name Survey Completion Date
Alma St from Lincoln Ave to Oregon Expy November 2017
Alma St from Oregon Exp to E Meadow Dr November 2017
Alma St from E Meadow Dr to South City Limit November 2017
Arastradero Rd from Purissima Rd to Deer Creek Rd November 2017
Arastradero Rd from Deer Creek Rd to Foothill Exp November 2017
Deer Creek Rd from western City limits to Arastradero Rd
Hillview Ave from Foothill Exp to Arastradero Rd
September 2023
November 2017
Oregon Exp from Middlefield Rd to Highway 101 June 2014
Oregon Exp from Middlefield Rd to Alma St November 2017
Page Mill Rd from El Camino Real to Hanover St June 2014
Page Mill Rd from Hanover St to Foothill Exp June 2014
Sand Hill Rd from Arboretum to West City limit November 2017
San Antonio Rd from Alma St Overpass to Middlefield Rd September 2023June 2014
San Antonio Rd from Middlefield Rd to Charleston Rd September 2023June 2014
San Antonio Rd from Charleston Rd to East City Limit June 2014
W Bayshore Rd from Oregon Exp to Loma Verde Ave November 2017
W Bayshore Rd from Loma Verde to Fabian Way September 2023June 2014
SECTION 5. Chapter 10.56.025 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code is hereby amended to
read as follows:
10.56.025 Forty miles per hour prima facie speed limit.
It is determined and justified upon the basis of engineering and traffic surveys that a speed
greater than the twenty-five miles per hour prima facie speed limit set forth in Section 22352 of
the Vehicle Code of the state, would facilitate the orderly movement of vehicular traffic and
would be reasonable and safe under the conditions found to exist upon the streets, or portions
thereof, set forth in this section, and it is hereby declared that forty miles per hour shall be the
prima facie speed limit upon these streets, or portions thereof, except for school zones, as
shown below:
NOT YET APPROVED Attachment B
5
140_20250818_ts24
Road Segment Name Survey Completion
Date
E Bayshore from Embarcadero Road Bicycle and Pedestrian
Overcrossing to Adobe Creek
November 2017
Deer Creek Rd from western City limits to Arastradero Rd November 2017
SECTION 6. If any section, subsection, clause or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason
held to be invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portion or sections
of the Ordinance. The Council hereby declares that it should have adopted the Ordinance and
each section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase thereof irrespective of the fact that any one
or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared invalid.
SECTION 7. The Council finds that this ordinance is categorically exempt from the
provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), pursuant to Section 15301 of
the CEQA Guidelines as a minor alteration to the existing street system.
SECTION 8. This ordinance shall be effective 31 days after adoption.
INTRODUCED:
PASSED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTENTIONS:
ATTEST:
____________________________ ____________________________
City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED:
____________________________ ____________________________
Assistant City Attorney City Manager
____________________________
Chief Transportation Official