DES MOINES, Iowa- The speed limit on Fleur Drive/MLK Jr. Parkway was lowered from 40mph to 35mph in an effort to reach zero car accident fatalities by the year 2040, according to city officials.
The Des Moines City Council unanimously voted in December to lower the speed limit. City Traffic Engineer John Davis said that the new speed limit went into effect last week when the new signs were installed.
The area between Ingersoll Avenue and Army Post Road on MLK Jr. Parkway/Fleur Drive is where the change was made.
Davis said one of the contributing factors to making this decision was to make the speed zone consistent, as north of the intersection between MLK Jr. Parkway and Ingersoll Ave to Interstate 235 had an existing 35mph speed limit.
Another factor was safety. According to Davis, this change was part of the city’s Vision Zero Project , which aims to limit severe injury and fatality resulting from car accidents by providing road systems and policies which help prevent that.