Transportation
Division Manager - Jeff Lee
Mission Statement
The Transportation Division enhances mobility in our County.
The Transportation division is responsible for the safe and efficient movement of traffic on all County maintained roadways in the unincorporated areas not including State Highways (Maintained by Caltrans) or City Streets (Maintained by the appropriate city or town).
Currently we maintain:
- 1,349 miles of roads
- 1105 miles of paved road
- 244 miles of unpaved road
- 200 bridge structures
- 624 segments of guardrail
- 141 cattle guards
- 22 signalized intersections
- 1,220 ADA curb ramps
- 4,950+ road drainage culverts
- 26,100+ road signs
Related Services
- ADA Transition Plan »
- Adopt-A-Road »
- Bridge Maintenance and Replacement Program »
- Cooperative Road Improvement Program »
- Pavement Management Report »
- Road Abandonments and Vacations »
- Road Closure, Delays and Status »
- Road Maintenance Requests »
- Street Sweeping Schedule »
- Traffic Circulation Studies »
- Traffic Counts »
- Traffic Regulations Code Book »
- Transportation »
Related Documents
Frequently Asked Questions
You can report maintenance concerns such as potholes, damaged pavement, or missing street signs by submitting a request through our online Maintenance Request Portal:
Road Maintenance Requests
When reporting an issue, please provide as much information as possible, including specific locations or nearby landmarks, to help our crews respond promptly.
If this is an emergency where immediate assistance from the police or fire is required, please call 911.
Road Maintenance Requests
When reporting an issue, please provide as much information as possible, including specific locations or nearby landmarks, to help our crews respond promptly.
If this is an emergency where immediate assistance from the police or fire is required, please call 911.
Street Light, Beacon, & Signal Outages can be reported using the same Maintenance Request Portal as other typical roadway maintenance requests. Streetlights within the County of San Luis Obispo are Owned by various parties such as the County, PG&E, & Private Parties. Once we receive your request we will investigate the issue, address the light if it is County Maintained or forward your request to the owner responsible for assessment and repairs if necessary.
https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/departments/public-works/services/programs-outreach/road-maintenance-requests.com
When reporting an issue, please provide as much information as possible, including specific locations or nearby landmarks, to help our crews respond promptly.
If this is an emergency where immediate assistance from the police or fire is required, please call 911.
https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/departments/public-works/services/programs-outreach/road-maintenance-requests.com
When reporting an issue, please provide as much information as possible, including specific locations or nearby landmarks, to help our crews respond promptly.
If this is an emergency where immediate assistance from the police or fire is required, please call 911.
In San Luis Obispo County, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is responsible for enforcing speed limits in accordance with the California Vehicle Code and County Traffic Code.
The County will only consider posting speed limit signs under special circumstances where the residential nature of the roadway is not immediately apparent to drivers. Even in these cases, the purpose of the signs is not to influence driver behavior but to provide the legal basis necessary for CHP enforcement.
Why doesn’t the County install speed humps to lower speeds?
Speed humps can negatively impact emergency response times for Cal Fire and other medical first responders. For this reason, the California Vehicle Code and Fire Code grants Cal Fire authority over the installation of speed humps on County Roadways. Currently, the regional fire authority does not allow the use of vertical deflection devices, such as speed humps, due to their interference with emergency vehicle operations and equipment.
 |
Templeton CHP 101 Duncan Rd 805.400.6720 |
San Luis Obispo CHP 675 California Blvd 805.594.87000 |
Why doesn’t the County Post Speed Limit Signs in Residential Neighborhoods?
Under California law, drivers are required to travel at speeds that are safe for current roadway conditions. Decades of research have shown that speed limit signs alone have little to no impact on actual driver behavior. Fortunately, California Vehicle Code Section 22352(a)(2)(A) establishes a default 25 mph speed limit on residential streets. The residential character of these streets serves as sufficient notice to motorists and enables the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to enforce the 25 mph limit without additional signage.The County will only consider posting speed limit signs under special circumstances where the residential nature of the roadway is not immediately apparent to drivers. Even in these cases, the purpose of the signs is not to influence driver behavior but to provide the legal basis necessary for CHP enforcement.
Why doesn’t the County install speed humps to lower speeds?
Speed humps can negatively impact emergency response times for Cal Fire and other medical first responders. For this reason, the California Vehicle Code and Fire Code grants Cal Fire authority over the installation of speed humps on County Roadways. Currently, the regional fire authority does not allow the use of vertical deflection devices, such as speed humps, due to their interference with emergency vehicle operations and equipment.
Outside of residential areas and business districts, all California agencies—including San Luis Obispo County—are required to set speed limits based on an Engineering and Traffic Survey, using what is known as the “85th percentile speed.” This method sets the speed limit at or near the speed that 85% of what drivers naturally travel under free-flowing conditions, reflecting what most motorists consider safe and reasonable.
The County typically conducts these studies every 7 to 10 years or following significant roadway changes. The process includes evaluating land use, roadway geometry, and measuring actual travel speeds. Under California law, the resulting speed limit must generally align with the measured 85th percentile speed, with limited flexibility for adjustments based on conditions not readily visible to drivers.
Once the studies are complete, County staff presents the findings to the Board of Supervisors for approval and incorporation into the County’s official Traffic and Regulations Code (TRC). After adoption, road crews install the corresponding speed limit signs in the field.
Unposted Rural Speed Limits
In most cases the presence & density of residential or business buildings serves as the legal notice for 25 mph speed zone, in lieu of speed limit signs. In some cases, roadway volumes are below the minimum thresholds required by the California Vehicle Code to conduct an engineering survey and post an enforceable speed limit. Therefore, In these cases these roadway types are unposted and are enforced under the basic speed law (CVC 22350) which dictate that no person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent.
The County typically conducts these studies every 7 to 10 years or following significant roadway changes. The process includes evaluating land use, roadway geometry, and measuring actual travel speeds. Under California law, the resulting speed limit must generally align with the measured 85th percentile speed, with limited flexibility for adjustments based on conditions not readily visible to drivers.
Once the studies are complete, County staff presents the findings to the Board of Supervisors for approval and incorporation into the County’s official Traffic and Regulations Code (TRC). After adoption, road crews install the corresponding speed limit signs in the field.
Unposted Rural Speed Limits
In most cases the presence & density of residential or business buildings serves as the legal notice for 25 mph speed zone, in lieu of speed limit signs. In some cases, roadway volumes are below the minimum thresholds required by the California Vehicle Code to conduct an engineering survey and post an enforceable speed limit. Therefore, In these cases these roadway types are unposted and are enforced under the basic speed law (CVC 22350) which dictate that no person shall drive a vehicle upon a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent.
All public agencies within the State of California are required to comply with the Federal and State Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). All-way stop or traffic signal control is often misperceived as a panacea for addressing traffic issues, however installing these devices can actually degrade traffic safety if installed under the wrong conditions.
Federal and State governments have conducted extensive studies over many decades and defined conditions where all-way stop control or signalization is more likely to improve safety as opposed to degrading it, these conditions are referred to as warrants.
County Staff relies on these warrants and professional engineering judgement to determine if installation of all-way stop control or traffic signals would improve or degrade traffic conditions.
Street Lights
The County does not have a program, funding source, nor mechanism for installation or maintenance of new streetlights. Therefore, new streetlights primarily fall under the authority of localized community service districts or lighting districts. A comprehensive list of Community Service Districts is provided below
https://opendata.slocounty.ca.gov/datasets/4517f9517b6b4f22a343d85161d86591_39/explore?location=35.386010%2C-120.496000%2C9.67
Federal and State governments have conducted extensive studies over many decades and defined conditions where all-way stop control or signalization is more likely to improve safety as opposed to degrading it, these conditions are referred to as warrants.
County Staff relies on these warrants and professional engineering judgement to determine if installation of all-way stop control or traffic signals would improve or degrade traffic conditions.
Street Lights
The County does not have a program, funding source, nor mechanism for installation or maintenance of new streetlights. Therefore, new streetlights primarily fall under the authority of localized community service districts or lighting districts. A comprehensive list of Community Service Districts is provided below
https://opendata.slocounty.ca.gov/datasets/4517f9517b6b4f22a343d85161d86591_39/explore?location=35.386010%2C-120.496000%2C9.67
Sidewalks
The installation of sidewalks within the County of San Luis Obispo are predominantly implemented through requirements of new development. Under unique circumstance sidewalks may be installed as part of grant projects funded by the State or Federal.
Crosswalks
The County of San Luis Obispo installs marked crosswalks based on the results of traffic studies of vehicle & pedestrian volumes, collision history, intersection geometry, and cross demand. Much like traffic signals, marked crosswalks are often misperceived as a panacea for pedestrian safety… however crosswalk markings can create a false sense of security if installed under the wrong conditions.
Based on decades of studies the County has adopted State and Federal warrants that inform under which conditions maybe appropriate for marked crosswalk installation as defined by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
The installation of sidewalks within the County of San Luis Obispo are predominantly implemented through requirements of new development. Under unique circumstance sidewalks may be installed as part of grant projects funded by the State or Federal.
Crosswalks
The County of San Luis Obispo installs marked crosswalks based on the results of traffic studies of vehicle & pedestrian volumes, collision history, intersection geometry, and cross demand. Much like traffic signals, marked crosswalks are often misperceived as a panacea for pedestrian safety… however crosswalk markings can create a false sense of security if installed under the wrong conditions.
Based on decades of studies the County has adopted State and Federal warrants that inform under which conditions maybe appropriate for marked crosswalk installation as defined by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
