Denver is pumping the breaks on neighborhood speed limits. Beginning this week, signs on Denver’s residential streets will start showing the change from 25 mph to 20 mph. The Denver City Council voted to change the default limit in December 2021.

The reduction is part of the city’s ongoing program, “Vision Zero,” that seeks to have no traffic-related deaths or injuries in Denver by 2030. New signs will start appearing Tuesday, according to the city.

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In 2022, 73 people died in Denver traffic accidents, according to Colorado Department of Transportation statistics. Colorado Springs had 53 fatalities and Aurora 48 or roughly one person in 10,000 for each of the top three cities in the data.

Denver announced that the first new speed limit signs will go up Tuesday morning on South Fillmore Street just north of Evans Avenue. These are the first of about 2,000 signs destined for streets entering local neighborhoods.

“We’ve reduced the speed limit on neighborhood streets to make our communities safer and improve quality of life in our city,” said Councilman Paul Kashmann in a news release from the city on Monday.

Advisory signs are going up at highway ramps and feeder streets. In areas without a sign, the limit is 20 mph. The city said the sign change may take three years and affect 4,000 signs in total, according to DenverGov.org.

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