20 is Plenty
Driven by community feedback and a shared commitment to safer neighborhoods, Commerce City is reducing the speed limit on selected local residential streets from 25 mph to 20 mph as part of the city’s Safe Streets Initiative. Local Residential Streets are primarily intended to provide direct access to abutting properties (homes and local businesses). They prioritize low-speed, low-volume traffic.
The “20 is Plenty” program is designed to improve safety in neighborhoods by encouraging slower driving speeds and creating safer conditions for people walking, biking, rolling, and driving throughout the community.
Why is 20 plenty?
Speed plays a significant role in both the likelihood and severity of traffic crashes. Lower speeds give drivers more time to react and help reduce the risk of serious injuries when crashes occur.
- Improved Survival Rates: At 20 mph, a pedestrian struck by a vehicle has a 13% likelihood of severe injury or fatality. If the speed is bumped up to 30 mph, that likelihood spikes to 40%.
- Shorter Stopping Distances: Slower speeds give drivers more time to react to unexpected hazards, such as children, pets, or cyclists, and greatly reduce overall stopping distance.
- Greener and Quieter Neighborhoods: Slower speeds reduce sudden acceleration and braking, which lowers exhaust emissions and particulate pollution while making streets noticeably quieter.
The 20 is Plenty supports Commerce City’s Safe Streets Initiative for safer streets for everyone, including:
- Children walking to school
- Families using parks and trails
- Older adults and people with disabilities
- Cyclists and other active transportation users
- Residents traveling within their neighborhoods
What is Changing
Beginning in July 2026, Public Works crews will begin replacing speed limit signs across Commerce City to reflect the new 20 mph speed limit on local residential streets.
- New Local Residential Speed Limit
- The speed limit on local residential streets throughout Commerce City will change from 25 mph to 20 mph.
- Sign Replacement Program
- To support the new speed limit, Commerce City’s Public Works Department will replace nearly 5,000 speed limit signs citywide.
- This is a City-Led Implementation
- All sign replacement work will be completed by the city’s Street Maintenance team. No outside contractors will be used.
Project timeline
Summer 2026
- Sign replacement begins
- New 20 mph speed limit signs installed throughout the city
- Public education and outreach campaign launches
Ongoing
- Continued community education
- Additional Safe Streets Initiative improvements
Get Involved
Show Your Support for Safer Neighborhood Streets
Help spread the message that safer speeds save lives. Commerce City residents can support the 20 is Plenty initiative by displaying a free yard sign in their neighborhood. Yard signs help raise awareness, encourage safer driving habits, and show community support for creating safer streets for everyone.
Request a Free Yard Sign
Interested in displaying a yard sign at your home, business, school, or neighborhood organization?
Complete the form below to request a free 20 is Plenty yard sign. Supplies are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Request Your Free Yard Sign Today
Together, we can make Commerce City’s streets safer for everyone.
By requesting a yard sign, you’re helping:
- Promote safer driving in residential neighborhood
- Support the city’s Safe Streets Initiative
- Raise awareness about the new 20 mph residential speed limit
- Encourage neighbors to slow down and stay alert
Frequently Asked Questions
How will the new signs be installed?
The implementation of the 20 is Plenty initiative will occur in phases.
The city will begin by installing “Speed Limit 20 Unless Otherwise Posted” signs at key entry points throughout Commerce City to help raise awareness of the new residential speed limit. Following the installation of gateway signs, Public Works crews will begin updating neighborhood speed limit signs across the city.
Because nearly 5,000 signs will be replaced, work will be completed over time. Initial neighborhood sign replacements will focus on areas where resident feedback, traffic studies, and roadway data have identified opportunities to improve safety. Crews will work in neighborhoods throughout both the northern and southern portions of the city before expanding citywide.
Residents should follow posted speed limits and be aware that the new residential speed limit is 20 mph as the sign replacement process moves forward.
Why isn’t every neighborhood being updated at the same time?
Replacing nearly 5,000 signs is a significant undertaking that will be completed by Commerce City’s Street Maintenance team. A phased approach allows crews to efficiently implement the program while continuing to provide regular maintenance services throughout the city.
This approach also ensures that neighborhoods with identified safety concerns can begin seeing the benefits of the program sooner while sign replacement continues citywide.
Does the new speed limit apply to every street?
The 20-mph speed limit applies to local residential streets throughout Commerce City. Collector, arterial, and state-maintained roadways will continue to have different posted speed limits.
What are the primary road classifications in Commerce City?
Local Residential Streets: Are primarily intended to provide direct access to abutting properties (homes and local businesses). They prioritize low-speed and low-volume traffic.
Principal Arterials: High-capacity roads designed to move large volumes of traffic quickly and efficiently across long distances. They connect the city to the broader regional network (e.g., CO Highway 2 US Highway 85, and I-70, I-270, & I-76,).
Minor Arterials: Roads that connect principal arterials to collector streets, balancing mobility with limited access to properties. Examples include E-470, E. 64th Avenue, E. 96th Avenue, and E. 120th Avenue.
Major Collectors: These gather traffic from residential areas and commercial parks, funneling it onto the arterial system. They typically serve moderate traffic volumes and include stretches of Chambers Road and E. 88th Avenue.
Minor Collectors: Similar to major collectors but shorter in distance and frequently serving residential neighborhoods directly rather than industrial zones.
When will the change take effect?
Implementation begins in July 2026 as crews replace speed limit signs throughout the city.
Part of the Safe Streets Initiative
The 20 is Plenty program is one component of Commerce City’s Safe Streets Initiative, a citywide effort focused on improving transportation safety through engineering, education, maintenance, and community engagement.
Together, these investments help create safer, more connected neighborhoods and support a transportation system that works for everyone.
Learn more at c3gov.com/SafeStreets