County gears up for speed changes

EAST COUNTY — Manatee County commissioners may soon  propose changes to make county roadway speed limits more consistent.

At a workshop May 12, commissioners heard from transportation staff about 12 roadways that may warrant changes, half of which are within the East County area.

Lockwood Ridge Road, where speed limits range from 35 mph to 45 mph, is an example of why the county is evaluating speed limits, said Sage Kamiya, deputy director of traffic management.

“Lockwood Ridge varies a lot based on where development went in,” Kamiya said. “It looked at areas individually, not as a whole.”

The county will consider making the speed limit there a uniform 45 mph.

Commissioners nixed a suggestion to increase the speed limit from 35 mph to 40 mph on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard between University Parkway and State Road 70. 

Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said her constituents already worry about the speed of traffic on that road segment. However, other East County road speeds, such as on Lorraine Road, will  be considered. (See sidebar.)

The board will hold two public hearings on proposed speed limit changes.

“We need to look at Lorraine, I think, there between University Parkway and State Road 70 to see what the public feels, if anything needs to be done,” Baugh said. “I travel that road quite a bit. I wouldn’t have a problem (increasing the limit), but it’s all about the residents. Is it at a speed limit the public feels good with or do they think it’s too low or too high?”