Q: Why are there so many different speed zones in North Bend? Twenty-five mph is the speed for residential, but Virginia between Sherman  and Pony Village is all business.  It makes no sense to change to 35 mph.  

Why is Sherman 30 mph and then changes to 25 mph?  Seems like Virginia should be all 35 mph as Broadway is until it changes into Coos Bay. Why not 30 mph all over both towns?

A: North Bend City Planner David Voss said speed limits are based on the type of road and how the public uses the surrounding areas. For many of the segments mentioned in the question, the state Transportation Department makes the call.

Virginia Avenue between Sherman Avenue and the Pony Village Mall has been designated as a Special Transportation Area, or STA, which is typically limited to speeds of 25 mph, Voss said. There are numerous intersections and driveways in this area, and also a lot of pedestrians, Voss explained.

Virginia Avenue from the Pony Village Mall to Broadway, and Broadway from Virginia to Newmark have been designated as commercial centers; and the area along Broadway to Newmark is considered an urban business area. Typically, areas with these designations have a speed limit of 35 mph.  

Voss said Sherman Avenue, which is part of U.S. Highway 101 from McCullough Bridge to Washington Avenue, carries a freight route designation, in which the speed limit must be at least 30 mph.  

“North Bend attempted for many years to have the speed limit reduced in the downtown area along Sherman, but the state would not allow it because of the freight route designation,” Voss wrote in an e-mail.

  South of Washington, Sherman is a city street and traverses a residential area with many intersections and driveways. The city has set the speed at 25. Steep grades also limit visibility.   

— Jessica Musicar, Staff Writer