Gates on Lake View Drive will begin closing at 8 p.m. to reduce speeding and increase community safety, previously closing between 10 p.m. and midnight. 

The earlier closures will begin on Friday, April 5, a city release stated. 

Lake View Drive is the u-shaped road that leads from Curry Road to the north side of Tempe Town Lake and back out again, with entrances on each side of Mill Avenue. 

In the last three years, there have been more than 600 calls for service to the area for street racing, burnouts in the parking lot and more, the release explained. Police patrols in the area were increased this year, reducing the number of calls from residents, but vehicle incidents have continued to be an issue.  

To help, the gates will close to vehicles at 8 p.m. and reopen at 5 a.m. Motorists should remove their vehicles from the area before 8 p.m. Alternative parking is available at a variety of locations around the lake, according to the release.

Tempe Town Lake's boating hours will not be impacted and remain 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Park hours will remain 5 a.m. to midnight. 

Pedestrians will still be able to use the roadway. Boaters can access water from the north side of Town Lake at Town Lake Marina or by walking their small watercraft from the top parking lot at Curry Road and Mill Avenue. A map is available at tempe.gov/lake.

This is part of Tempe’s efforts to improve community safety, the release explained. Since January, Tempe police have implemented programs such as Operation Slow Down, a focus on reducing speed throughout the city, and Operation Silent Night, which targets street racing.

Tempe’s Vision Zero program is also underway, striving to lower the number of serious injury accidents to zero, through a combination of education, enforcement and environmental means.