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For the week of February 5 - 11, 2003

News

Speed limit debate stalled in House

Valley cities voice opposition
to loss of authority


By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

Amidst objections from many Idaho municipalities, a bill that would repeal the abilities of cities to set speed limits on state highways inside their borders has stalled in the Idaho House of Representatives.

At the request of the bill’s sponsors, a scheduled Monday hearing was put off to Tuesday, and the Tuesday hearing was put off to Feb. 10, said House Minority Leader Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, who is fighting the repeal.

Bellevue Marshall Randy Tremble says his town is not a speed trap. "We do not have a neo-Nazi police force here. We do take a strong attitude about personal safety," he says. "If they change the speed limit to 35 mph, through the core of Bellevue, the 10 percent of people who habitually violate the speed limit will cause more damage than I’m prepared to watch." Express photos by Willy Cook

 

Meanwhile, Rep. Tim Ridinger, R-Shoshone, who is vice chair of the House Transportation and Defense Committee, is attempting to take the bill back to the committee for another vote. Although the committee voted 11 to 2 on Jan. 28 to pass the bill, Ridinger believes he has changed the minds of several committee members.

"I’m not there yet, but I’m getting closer," he said Tuesday.

Ridinger also said the delay of a hearing in the full House indicates the bill’s sponsors may not have cornered enough votes for passage.

"We’ve got them nervous, because they keep holding the bill," he said. "They want the votes to pass it, and they might not have them."

Cities have had control over local speed limits only since 1997, when Ridinger and Jaquet co-sponsored the local control legislation.

The bill to repeal the local control provision is sponsored by Rep. Leon Smith, R-Twin Falls, and Rep. Mike Moyle, R-Star. Their measure would give the Idaho Transportation Department, not city councils, the authority to set speed limits on state highways running through Idaho’s cities.

The perception that Bellevue is a speed trap helped spur a legislative effort to take away the ability of Idaho cities to set speed limits on state highways within their borders.Express photos by Willy Cook

 

The issue has ruffled city officials from Blaine County’s cities, as well as elsewhere.

Bellevue city officials last week issued strong statements against the proposed repeal.

"I would like to see Rep. Leon Smith come before the Bellevue City Council and explain his position," said Bellevue Mayor John Barton.

Barton and council members agreed that any increase in the speed limit on Highway 75 in Bellevue would endanger the lives and wellbeing of citizens.

Hailey Mayor Susan McBryant said Friday she had indicated her opposition to the plan to the Association of Idaho Cities.

"Certainly, for the city of Hailey, it is a concern," she said. "We would like to have some control of the speed on Highway 75, because it is our Main Street and our business district."

On Monday night, Ketchum officials noted their objection to the proposed legislative change. Moreover, the discussion rekindled a prior discussion about lowering the speed limit on Main Street from 35 mph to 25 mph between Saddle Road and Sixth Street in Ketchum.

Though official action was not taken, council members appeared unanimous in their support of the speed decrease on the city’s northern periphery.

 

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The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.