Speed Limit on Lakewood Section of Lake Avenue to be Reduced

Decrease to 30 MPH follows comprehensive process of data collection, analysis, and interaction with residents and State of Ohio

The City of Lakewood announced today that it will reduce the speed limit on Lake Avenue from 35 miles per hour (MPH) to 30 MPH on Monday, June 3^rd. The change follows multiple years of traffic studies on the street and will become effective after the City engages in a 30-day public notice campaign.

“The City of Lakewood is committed to enhancing safety for our residents and visitors, and that includes exploring opportunities to improve traffic safety on our streets,” said Mayor Meghan F. George, who also serves as Safety Director. “The speed reduction on Lake Avenue will decrease risk for everyone – from walkers to cyclists to drivers and everyone in between. We see this change as another example of Lakewood’s holistic approach to safety.”

The change affects the section of Lake Avenue running from West 117^th Street until the street ends at Webb Avenue. (***Just further west in Lakewood is a separate street named Lake Road which has a 25 MPH limit that will remain unchanged). The process to arrive at the speed reduction was complex and years in the making.

“You can’t just snap your fingers and change a speed limit, and that is a good thing,” said Mark Papke, City Engineer for Lakewood. “In Ohio, it’s a complex, data-driven, multi-jurisdictional effort, which makes sense given how important these laws are for protecting the public.”

Papke explained that although Lake Avenue is not a state route, the City still needed approval from the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to make the change. Before applying to ODOT, the City spent years collecting and analyzing data at five different points along the street. That data was gathered in both 2021 and 2023. Papke pointed to the addition of bike lanes on Lake Avenue in 2020 as a key factor in considering the change. Following repaving and installation of those bike lanes, the City heard from residents asking for a reduction in speed to ensure cyclists and pedestrians were safe along this primarily residential street.

The City of Lakewood’s Planning and Engineering departments worked together to gather information on Lake Avenue including vehicle speed data and an inventory of physical characteristics of the corridor (how many driveways, pedestrian counts, land use). Data was gathered continuously for a week at a time on multiple occasions. The study was then submitted to ODOT for review and approval.

Interestingly, the data collected by the City revealed that drivers were already adjusting their speeds. “The data showed that the average speed of cars was 30 MPH, which indicates that drivers were self-adjusting to the new conditions on Lake with the addition of the bike lanes,” said Papke. With this data in hand, the City used a required methodology required by ODOT to do its analysis and make the application for the speed reduction. In 2024, ODOT ruled that the speed should be changed to 30MPH for the entire stretch of Lake Avenue in Lakewood.

“The Lakewood Police Department was engaged throughout the study to help determine the proper speed along Lake Avenue,” said Lakewood Police Chief Kevin Fischer. “Based on the changes to the layout on Lake and the data that was collected, our department agrees with the change to 30 MPH.”

Mayor George praised City staff and stressed the importance of partnership in identifying this initiative and then navigating a complex process to get the change accomplished. “We arrived at this change only after a thorough, multi-year, data-driven process that involved our public works, engineering, planning, and police departments,” she said. “I appreciate the combined efforts taken by the professionals from each of these departments in evaluating whether this change made sense, and then to carry it out once the data showed it was the right move.”

Mayor George also credited Lakewood City Council for helping to launch the effort. “Lakewood City Council was a strong voice in favor of reviewing the speed limit on Lake Avenue, and they deserve credit as well,” she said. “This is another great example of our branches of government working well together in Lakewood.”

“Lakewood City Council is excited that this speed reduction on Lake Avenue is coming to fruition,” said Council President Sarah Kepple. “Over the past several years, Councilmembers Bullock, Rader and Marx in particular have often lifted up this resident priority, and we expect the change to have a meaningful impact on safety along Lake Avenue. We appreciate the careful work of city staff members that went into assuring a fair and data-driven approach, so that we can be confident this is in the best interest of pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.”

Providing over 30 days of notice before the speed limit change goes into effect was also important to the City. “We are placing very prominent signage as you drive on Lake Avenue so that people will be given an entire month of clear notice that this change is coming,” said Mayor George. “We wanted to be fair to drivers before we implement and enforce the new limit, and we also want to get the word out so people know and obey this new traffic law in Lakewood.”