Take your foot off the gas and slow down — and get used to it, or else.

That’s the message the city of Medford sent in late September when speed limits were reduced on two city thoroughfares. And these aren’t just any city streets — one is a major artery through the heart of downtown where the lower speed limit likely will take drivers time to make the adjustment.

On top of that, a red light camera already operating at East Eighth Street and South Riverside Avenue — near the SOU-RCC Education Building — will begin issuing citations on the new speed limit in the second half of October. The camera already catches red-light scofflaws, but it’s also capable of tracking drivers’ speeds through the intersection.

The city will not cite drivers who follow the old speed limit at the intersection until Oct. 19. But the city is now sending warning letters to motorists captured exceeding the speed limit by 11 mph or more.

Medford’s four other intersections with red-light photo enforcement will continue issuing citations as usual, located at North Central Avenue and East Fourth Street; Biddle and East McAndrews roads; Barnett Road and Stewart Avenue; and Crater Lake Highway and Delta Waters Road.

As the Rogue Valley Times reported, the speed limit on Central Avenue between 10th Street and Barnett Road will be 30 mph, down from 35, and Riverside Avenue will have new posted speed limits of 30 mph between Barnett Road to about 12th Street and 20 mph between 12th and Jackson, according to the city of Medford website.

To draw attention to the new speed limits, the city placed orange flags on new speed limit signs and plans to leave them up for several months.

That in itself is a wise move since people who have taken Riverside through downtown for years or even decades might find the lower speed limits jarring. Driving 20 mph through a tree-lined residential neighborhood or a school zone is old hat for most, but finding yourself feathering the gas pedal, then coasting and crawling along a major city thoroughfare at 20 mph through a bustling downtown seems out of place.

Anecdotally, the Times conducted an unscientific survey of traffic speeds along the new 20-mph route through downtown, sending a driver on a loop through the area between 12th and Jackson along Riverside, then over to Central and back to 12th. Runs were made during Thursday night’s commute and then Friday morning, Friday afternoon and Monday morning.

The results were interesting.

Positioned in the middle lane, the Times’ vehicle was driving side-by-side with most vehicles during Thursday night rush hour, with some drivers ignoring or not realizing the new road laws and scooting by on the left and right. The streets were pretty packed then, however, so it was hard to tell if most people were abiding by the new limit or just going with the crowded 4:30-5 p.m. flow.

Friday morning, when the streets were relatively clear, the Times’ vehicle was passed by just a few fellow motorists on several laps, but drivers seemed to be adhering to the new speed limit. In the afternoon, on two swings through the zone, you could clearly tell the “speeders” — drivers rushing along at a 30 mph clip — from those who noticed the orange flags and were doing their level best to stay at or below the 20 mph limit. Finally, Monday morning’s early wrok week commute revealed a mixed bag of speeds along Riverside.

The new speed limit on Central Avenue is only a 5-mph drop, so adjusting to that should be easy for most drivers. Same goes for the stretch of Riverside from Barnett Road to about 12th Street, where the speed limits also drops 5 mph in some area but remains the same 30 mph in others.

According to the city, the new speed limit changes are intended to improve the consistency among speed zones in the area, particularly in business districts, and improve traffic safety.

All things in the name of traffic safety are worthy, and we expect local drivers will eventually get used to the lower limits.

However, it will take some time, particularly after the orange flags come down, and we think the city of Medford could make a tidy pile of money as unaware motorists who make their way through the city center are ticketed for breaking the speed limit when enforcement truly begins.