New speed limit in River Ridge

• County sets max speed at 20 mph

BROOKINGS – The River Ridge Road District now has an official speed limit, which can be enforced in several weeks’ time.

The Brookings County Commission voted Tuesday to set the speed limit at 20 mph in the district. Though homeowners there have agreed in their neighborhood covenant to drive just 15 mph on River Ridge roads, the county sheriff’s office has not been able to enforce any speed limit there because the land is private property.

River Ridge is located south of Brookings, south of 32nd Street South and east of Western Avenue South.

River Ridge residents requested the commission set an official speed limit for their roads.

Deanna Vaske, president of the district board, said she had gotten calls about people driving too quickly through the housing development. Residents want a low speed limit, and they want speeders to be punished for not obeying the rules.

“Our road district has no sidewalks, so we use our street for walking; children play on it, ride their bicycles on it. So, that’s kind of why we’re asking for less than the standard 20 mph speed limit,” Vaske said.

River Ridge held the appropriate public meeting to gather residents’ input before settling on the speed limit they would ask commissioners to set, Vaske added. Residents who attended the meeting agreed that 20 mph was a more reasonable request than 15 mph.

Vaske said the district already has the speed limit signs and is just waiting to post them.

Another River Ridge board member spoke to the commission Tuesday, saying she was concerned that the speed limit be set so that no one was hurt in the district.

Commissioners voted unanimously to set the limit at 20 mph. They noted that the new limit cannot be enforced until 20 days after the next commission meeting, which will be Aug. 16.



Contact Charis Prunty at cprunty@brookingsregister.com.