The speed limit in front of Hazel Hawkins Hospital on Sunset
Drive will be changed from 35 mph to 25 mph sometime next month as
a way to ensure pedestrian safety in the highly-traveled area and
increase parking availability, according to the city manager.
Hollister – The speed limit in front of Hazel Hawkins Hospital on Sunset Drive will be changed from 35 mph to 25 mph sometime next month as a way to ensure pedestrian safety in the highly-traveled area and increase parking availability, according to the city manager.
The Hollister City Council voted unanimously Monday to introduce an ordinance altering the speed limit, but will not be able to adopt it until its meeting on Monday because of city government procedure, said City Manager Clint Quilter.
After the ordinance is adopted the new limit will go into effect in 30 days, he said. Before police begin enforcing the limit, 25 mph signs will be posted and a radar trailer will be placed in the area for awhile until motorists get used to the change, Quilter said.
“When you come up over that hill there are a lot of driveways, and we’re looking at possibly increasing parking by doing diagonal parking (instead of parallel parking),” Quilter said. “But the speed limit has to be at 25 in order to do that.”
There haven’t been any accidents in that area and Hazel Hawkins spokeswoman Frankie Valent said the hospital hasn’t had problems with people racing up and down that stretch of road.
But hospital personnel feel safety will be enhanced with a lower speed limit for the large number of pedestrians traveling between the hospital, nursing home and numerous doctors’ offices on Sunset Drive, Valent said.
“It’s just good PR all the way around,” Valent said. “There’s a lot of pedestrian traffic back and forth, so let’s see what we can do to mitigate this before there is an accident. Let’s do everything we can to ensure there won’t be one.”
Someone ticketed for driving between one to 15 miles over the limit will find themselves $110 poorer, according to San Benito County Superior Court personnel. A ticket for driving between 16 to 25 miles over the speed limit is $180, and a ticket exceeding 25 miles an hour is $340, according to court personnel.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or
em*******@fr***********.com
