What's happening: Per the county's plan set, the Marin County Board of Supervisors votes Tuesday on establishing 15 mph school zones at 12 locations across unincorporated Marin County, including three schools in the 94941 Zip Code. At Tam Valley Elementary, the plan set calls for installing new "Speed Limit 15, When Children Are Present" signage along Bell Lane, closest to the school.
At Tam High, the zone boundaries along Almonte Boulevard and Homestead Boulevard stay the same, but the posted limit within them drops from 25 mph to 15 mph, with existing signs and pavement stencils removed and new 15 mph signage installed at multiple points along both roads. Mount Tamalpais School gets an entirely new zone along its fronting roads, California Avenue, Harvard Avenue and Wellesley Avenue, extending roughly 500 to 550 feet on either side of the campus.
Diagram shows proposed sign locations along Homestead Boulevard and Almonte Boulevard near Tamalpais High School, including new "Speed Limit 15, When Children Are Present" signs replacing existing 25 mph signage and stencils at multiple points along both roads. (Courtesy of Marin County Department of Public Works)
Why it matters: According to the staff report, citing Federal Highway Administration data, a pedestrian's odds of dying in a collision are 45% when a vehicle travels 30 mph, falling to about 5% at 20 mph. Staff frame the change as part of the Vision Zero goal in the Board-adopted 2024 Marin County Local Road Safety Plan, which aims to eliminate severe and fatal crashes in unincorporated Marin County by 2050.
What's at stake: Per the resolution and the Department of Public Works' FAQ, the 15 mph limit takes effect when children are arriving at or leaving school, during school hours or the noon recess period, and also applies any time school grounds aren't separated from the road by a fence or gate while children are using them, regardless of day or hour. The plan set states a school zone speed reduction cannot be implemented on Miller Avenue at this time due to design constraints, in partnership with the City of Mill Valley.
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