Drivers in Irvine will need to ease off the gas pedal following a unanimous City Council vote to reduce speed limits on dozens of roadways throughout the city.
The council approved lowering speed limits on 56 roadway segments, including major thoroughfares like Alton Parkway, Irvine Boulevard, Jamboree Road, and Portola Parkway, according to Voice of OC. Most roads will see a 5 mph reduction, while some will decrease by as much as 10 mph.
The changes come after city staff reviewed 120 roadways to determine appropriate speed adjustments. In addition to the reductions, 27 streets will receive new speed limits where none previously existed, and two segments along Bosque will actually see increased limits.
“I think this enabling legislation at the state level, allowing us to reduce speed limits and make them stick, make them enforceable, I think this is a very favorable development,” Mayor Larry Agran said during the January 27 council meeting. “I think it will make our city safer.”
The city’s ability to implement these changes stems from Assembly Bill 43, enacted in 2022, which gives local officials greater control over speed regulations. Previously, limits were primarily determined by how fast 85% of drivers traveled on a given road.
Wyatt Sing, Irvine’s traffic engineering administrator, noted that while the city has typically conducted annual speed limit reviews, they may become less frequent as “speeds are stabilizing around the city.”
The staff report indicates that the speed increase on Bosque was strategically recommended to encourage drivers to use it as a connecting roadway instead of cutting through neighborhood streets. The report notes this makes sense because there are minimal homes or parking along this particular street.
Irvine isn’t alone in slowing traffic. Neighboring Anaheim implemented similar measures in 2024, reducing speeds by 5 to 15 mph across 169 roadway segments.
City officials hope these changes will create a safer environment for both pedestrians and motorists throughout Irvine, though they acknowledge it may take time for drivers to adapt to the new limits.
“Obviously it takes time for people to adapt to lower speed limits, particularly finding out that they’re enforceable,” Mayor Agran added. “They aren’t just a suggestion — they’re the law.”
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