The city’s push to slow traffic on Main Street took center stage at Monday’s Battle Ground City Council meeting, as officials reviewed the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) proposed speed limit changes and debated how far west the reductions should go.
WSDOT’s plan would drop the speed limit to 30 mph on state Route 502 (Main Street) from 10th Avenue to just east of Southwest 27th Avenue, then raise it to 40 mph before returning to 50 mph west of Northwest 30th Avenue. The corridor currently runs 40 mph from 10th Avenue west to about Northwest 30th, where it jumps to 50 mph.
Most council members pushed for a more aggressive reduction, some calling for the 30 mph zone to extend west to at least Northeast 92nd Avenue. Councilor Shane Bowman said traffic volume, ongoing development, and recent fatal crashes demand a stronger response.
“Every state patrolman I know will tell you that speed kills,” Bowman said. “The faster you go, the less chance you have of a non-injury accident.”
He pointed to an earlier fatal crash near the Albertsons intersection and other incidents as signs the city needs to act sooner.
“We’ve already had… a death right there earlier this year,” Bowman said. “I’m not saying that was speed-related, but that’s what we look at when we’re looking at these things.”
Councilor Cherish DesRochers described a recent personal experience driving through the area.
“When I pulled out of there the other day, it felt very unsafe,” DesRochers said. “I had to really get up and go just to get across Main Street. It was scary… that’s why we end up with accidents there all the time.”
While council members pushed to move quickly, WSDOT officials emphasized that driver behavior won’t shift overnight just because signs change.
“That’s the big thing, people aren’t going to go that speed,” Michael Southwick, WSDOT’s Southwest region corridor operations manager, said. “...So we’ve got to do some things to enforce that and kind of create that environment.”
Moving the 30 mph zone further west may require phased steps or infrastructure upgrades, such as crosswalks or ADA ramps to encourage drivers to slow down.
“We’re not saying no,” Southwick said. “We just need to talk about it and figure out what that might be.”
The city plans to introduce an ordinance in a future council meeting to lower the speed limits. Although the city can propose changes, WSDOT must sign off before they take effect.
Council members expect the department to return for further discussions on speed limits for State Route 503. No discussions on the road were made on Monday.
