Speed limits will change on Highway 20 on the south side of Oak Harbor.
During a recent meeting, city council members voted unanimously to change the speed limits in compliance with the Washington State Department of Transportation’s recommendation following a speed analysis conducted last year. Mayor Pro Tempore Tara Hizon presided at the council meeting, at the request of Mayor Ronnie Wright, who was absent.
The new ordinance will reduce the speed limit from 50 mph to 35 mph entering the city near Southwest Eagle Vista Avenue. From there to near Southwest Swantown Avenue, the previously 40 mph speed zone will drop down to 35 mph. The speed will continue to be reduced at Southwest Barlow Street from 40 mph to 30 mph, according to City Engineer Alex Warner.
Still, the highway is under the jurisdiction of WSDOT. Although this ordinance is more of a formality to align the city’s codes with the state’s rules, Warner said it is an appropriate recommendation. The motion is in alignment with the Act of Transportation Plan that the city adopted in 2024 and the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan adopted in 2025, he noted.
Island County resident Tabitha Bailar wrote a public comment in disagreement with the speed limit change, arguing that the section of road is not in a “school zone or highly trafficked pedestrian area,” she stated.
“People who are going to speed regardless of the limit,” Bailar wrote. “Please, do not vote to approve these speed limits. It just seems like you’re trying to make life miserable and try to ticket people for no good reason.”
Councilmember Christopher Wiegenstein acknowledged Bailar’s concerns but said it is necessary, even if it makes some drivers uncomfortable.
Echoing his statement, Councilmember James Marrow remembered that a traffic law enforcement chief once told him “the people who are complaining the most are exactly the ones that are driving 80 miles an hour in a school zone,” he said.
“Change is difficult for sure, but especially when it runs against the grain of expectation,” he said. “So I think these changes are excellent.”
