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Iris Court has lower speed limit, traffic will flow better
New kindergarten gate is installed
By Kate Carter
Traffic problems on Iris Court are becoming a thing of the past.
The San Jose City Council on March 5 approved a proposal to lower the speed limit on Willow Glen's Iris Court from 25 to 20 miles per hour. And a new gate between Iris Court and Willow Glen Elementary School is already improving some of the street's traffic problems caused by student drop-off and pickup.
Iris Court residents hope the new speed limit signs will catch drivers' attention and remind them to be more careful on the narrow street adjacent to the school.
"I would hope that when people see a sign other than 25, it will startle them just enough that they'll slow down a bit," neighbor Mary Schorr said. "And traffic problems at the school have really eased up."
The idea for the reduced speed limit came up at a fall traffic-calming meeting between Iris Court residents and city staff. The California Vehicle Code requires a 25-mph speed limit in residential areas. However, city traffic engineers told residents that streets near schools or senior centers might qualify for reduced speed limits if most people are already traveling more slowly down the street.
The engineers conducted a study of Iris Court, between Minnesota and Nevada avenues, and found that the street qualified. The mean speed on the 25.5-foot-wide street is 19 miles per hour, and 85 percent of the traffic travels at 24 miles per hour or lower. California sets speed limits generally five miles lower than the speed at which 85 percent travel, which in this case is 20 miles per hour, and is allowable because the street is adjacent to the school. The city staff report estimated the cost of replacing the speed limit signs at $250.
School Principal Anita Sunseri said the city didn't consult her about the reduced speed limit, but thinks it's a good idea nonetheless.
"I think it's a safe move," she said. "It's worth having the 20 miles per hour. It should be the speed limit, frankly. You almost have to go 20 on that street, it's so narrow."
Sunseri has been working with the neighbors on ways to reduce dangerous driving behavior and illegal parking on Iris Court by people dropping off and picking up kindergarten students.
The school is limited in the amount of parking it has on campus, and many use Iris Court as overflow parking. But parking is only allowed on the western side of the north-south-running street, and some people park illegally on the eastern side of the street or block driveways while dropping off or retrieving students.
The school's kindergarten area is also accessible from Iris Court, and many kindergartners would enter the school that way, further congesting traffic on the street. So, in January, the school installed a gate at its access point on Iris Court and keeps it locked during student drop-off and pickup times. It opens only when students are using the facility, for safety reasons, Sunseri said.
"Having that gate locked has made our parking and traffic problems worlds better," Schorr said. "People were using Iris Court as part of the school's property, as drop-off and pickup locations."
In addition, she said, police enforcement against illegal parking and jaywalking across Minnesota Avenue picked up during January and February, sending motorists, including those living in the neighborhoods, the message that the rules are important.
"[A police officer] ticketed many of the residents of Iris Court, and people changed some of their habits," Schorr said. "We have known all along that it was a matter of education."
The city has also allocated money for its traffic engineers to further study the traffic conditions near its schools, District 6 City Councilman Ken Yeager said. A study on Minnesota and Lincoln avenues near Willow Glen Elementary is expected to be completed this spring, he said.
"There [have] been a lot of safety issues involved [near the school]," Yeager said. "There has been a change in attitude in the Department of Transportation to look at lowering speed limits. I think it's a good thing."
Schorr said she hopes to be involved in plans to improve traffic near the school, and suggested installing more school speed limit signs along Minnesota and Lincoln avenues near the school.
"There are some creative things we can do to slow down traffic," she said. "Hopefully, we can make some positive change."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
