Batavia committee takes up 20 mph limit for more downtown streets Nov. 10

Batavia could soon post 20 mph on nearly every downtown street. An ordinance on the City Council's Committee of the Whole agenda for Tuesday, Nov. 10, would extend the limit to the downtown blocks that don't have it yet.

The committee meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 100 N. Island Ave. BATV streams the meeting on its YouTube channel.

Which streets would be 20 mph

The council set a 20 mph limit on parts of First Street and Water Street on Sept. 21. At its Oct. 27 meeting, the committee backed doing the same on the rest of downtown, according to a memo from Police Chief Eric Blowers.

Ordinance 2026-060 lists these stretches, some of them already posted at 20 mph:

• First Street, from Route 31 to Shumway Avenue
• North Water Street, from West Wilson Street to North Avenue
• South Water Street, from West Wilson Street to Union Avenue
• Houston Street, from Route 31 to North Island Avenue
• North Avenue, from Route 31 to North Water Street
• North Island Avenue, from West Wilson Street to the property line of 200 N. Island Ave.
• Shumway Avenue, from West Wilson Street to Flinn Street
• Flinn Street, from Shumway Avenue to its end
• North River Street, from East Wilson Street to Spring Street
• State Street, from Route 25 to North River Street

Streets without a posted limit default to 30 mph under state law. City staff recommend approval and say the new signs can come out of the Public Works sign budget. The memo also cautions that lower limits alone won't fix every pedestrian safety concern downtown, and that drivers may need an education period and targeted enforcement.

A committee recommendation would send the ordinance to the full City Council for a final vote.

Residential streets: 30 mph to 25 mph

The same night, the committee will talk about lowering the limit on residential streets from 30 mph to 25 mph. It's listed as a discussion item, and staff are asking the council for direction.

Batavia studied the idea in 2024 and made no citywide change. A recent state law gives towns more room to lower limits in residential areas. The city attorney's opinion is that Batavia can do it without a traffic study for each street, according to a second memo from Blowers.

First and Water sewer work

The city's late-October alert about storm sewer repairs at First and Water streets is no longer on its news feed. The city never posted an end date for that work.

The Nov. 10 agenda also has the 2027 budget hearing and proposed utility rate increases. Our Batavia budget and telehealth story has those details.