Speed limit uniformity sought through area

Visitors coming into the area from the south on SR-155 could easily get confused as to what the legal speed limit is, says a man who wants to change that and open intercity road travel to off-road vehicles.

In the course of about five miles the speed limit changes five times, in some cases within a mile.

Electric City resident Ron Pulsipher wants to do something about it and is scheduled to try his luck with the city council at its next meeting, Aug. 8.

You are driving toward town at the 60 mph limit and as you approach the turnoff to the golf course the limit changes to 50 mph. At the end of the causeway, and entering the main part of Electric City, the limit changes again to 35 mph.

In about a mile, near the entrance to Coulee Playland, the limit goes up to 45 mph until it changes again, this time to 30 miles an hour, close to the Four-Corners intersection with SR-174.

Pulsipher thinks it would be safer for all motorists if the speed limit was consistent from the north end of the causeway all the way through Coulee Dam.

Pulsipher appeared at July’s city council meeting and asked that he be put on the agenda in August so he could discuss the speed limit fiasco, as he sees it.

He also has appeared at Grand Coulee’s council and was instrumental in getting the city to write an ordinance that allows side-by-side off-road vehicles to travel on city streets.

He would like to see the speed consistent so that people could ride their side-by-sides, if made street legal, to travel between the two cities and maybe all the way to the golf course.

Electric City passed an ordinance over a year ago that allows city dwellers to drive such vehicles on city streets as long as they have lights, direction signals and are licensed by the state.

Pulsipher said there are well over 30,000 side-by-sides that are licensed by the state.

In Electric City there was initial concern about allowing the small off-road vehicles the right to travel on city streets. But there have been no problems, and no accidents.

Pulsipher will likely make that point when he appears before the city council Aug. 8.