N. Circle speed limit will be enforced with radar

While the speed limit on North Circle Drive has been 25 mph for years, enforcement now will be stronger.

The Riverside County Department of Transportation (DOT) proposed to set radar enforceable speed limits on 13 county roadways, of which N. Circle Dr. is one. The range of speed limits is 25 to 60 mph on a 1.8-mile stretch of Palm Drive in Desert Hot Springs.

In its memorandum to the board of supervisors, the DOT wrote, “The establishing and posting of appropriate speed limits promote safe and orderly movements of vehicular traffic and enable the [California Highway Patrol (CHP)] to use radar equipment to enforce the posted speed limits. Since the recommended speed limits were determined based on actual speed surveys, the majority of the motorists are already driving at or below the recommended speed limits.”

All of N. Circle Dr, from Highway 243 to Pine Crest Avenue, is included in this change. Since many Idyllwild roads have homes too close to the road, the state’s vehicle code does not permit the “residential prima facie speed limit” to be automatically applied.

The county had to complete an engineering and traffic survey in order to allow CHP to use radar for speed enforcement. This took several years to include the entire portion of N. Circle Dr.

DOT staff have notified the Riverside, Temecula and Indio area offices of the CHP regarding the recommended speed zones and believes “… these speed limits to be appropriate to facilitate the safe and orderly movement of traffic.”

“CHP will continue to use radar/LiDAR [light detection and ranging] to enforce the 25 mph speed limit on N. Circle Dr. [These] speed limits must be enforced by CHP and cannot be enforced by cameras,” wrote Brooke Federico, county public information officer, in an email to the Town Crier. The county will post more speed limit signs to warn drivers.

The supervisors passed this new law unanimously Tuesday morning.