By GAYLA CAWLEY
SWAMPSCOTT — Town officials have taken the first steps toward lowering the speed limit from 30 to 25 miles per hour, citing safety concerns.
“It’s definitely for safety,” said Peter Kane, director of community development. “That is the prime reason you do it.”
Kane said the idea is to lower the speed limit in thickly settled areas. If this were rural Massachusetts, he said, slowing cars down might not be as much of a concern because homes are set back so far. But when a town is dense, more people are out, and cars should be traveling slower.
Last Wednesday, the Board of Selectmen approved lowering the statutory speed limit on all town-owned roadways within a thickly settled or business district, acting on the recommendation of the Traffic Study Advisory Committee.
“The committee recommends opting in to this on a town-wide basis due to the density of development of town as well as the street network,” Kane wrote in a letter to the selectmen. “The committee has been asked to consider speed limit reductions from 30 mph to 25 mph on Stetson Avenue and Puritan Road, and feel that this option is the best method to achieve those reductions, as well as achieve improved traffic safety on our local roads.”
Reducing the speed limit requires a Town Meeting vote in May after the board voted to “opt in” to the Municipal Modernization bill, signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker last summer. One aspect of the bill gives local government the authority to make the speed limit change, bypassing MassDOT review and study.
The Boston City Council also recently acted upon the law, by voting to reduce the city’s speed limit to 25 mph. The change took effect on Jan. 9.
Kane said the change won’t affect state-controlled roads, such as Paradise Road, which has a speed limit of 35 mph. Town roads with posted speed limits lower than 25 mph also won’t be affected by the change.
The selectmen also approved two other recommendations from the traffic advisory committee. Neither require a Town Meeting vote.
One change was to add a “No Parking Here to Corner” restriction on the southwest side of Burpee Road from the hill crest south of Jessie Street up to the intersection with Buena Vista Street. Prior to the modification, there were no on-street parking restrictions on Burpee Road.
“By doing this, it’ll improve the visibility of vehicles at the stop sign on Buena Vista Street to more easily see traffic coming down the hill on Burpee Road,” Kane wrote to the selectmen.
The other change was to add a flashing pedestrian crossing signal on Humphrey Street at St. John’s Church. In December, John Lofgren, 73, of Lynn, was killed after he was struck by a car while crossing Humphrey Street in front of the church.
Kane said the request was in response to that accident. There have been other previous incidents at that location. He said the crossing signal can enhance safety by reducing crashes between vehicles and pedestrians at unsignalized intersections and crosswalks by increasing driver awareness.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley
