Politics & Government

Town Eyes Main Street Speed Limits

Officials examining ways to bring consistency to Main Street speed limits while improving public safety.

At Monday night's selectmen's meeting, Police Chief David Breen was on hand to discuss concerns about vehicle speeds on Summer and Main Streets - particularly around South Common Street.

Breen noted that during one recent visit to the library, he had observed vehicles traveling by "at a pretty good clip," even with stop signs around there and plenty of marked crosswalks. This is a particular safety concern because this part of town has fairly substantial pedestrian traffic, being home to not only the library, but also a church with a day care center, the post office, the public safety buildings and the stores.

One thing about this part of town when it comes to vehicle speeds is the lack of a posted 20 mph limit heading south on Summer Street, explained Chief Breen. This apparently actually establishes a default speed limit of 30 mph instead of the desired 20, which at least one motorist has been able to take advantage of when challenging a speeding ticket.

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"I think this would just create a speed limit in the direction that we can enforce," said Breen. The chief also reported that vigorous enforcement of traffic laws in this area has at least helped bring down average speeds around the common.

Select Board Chair Arthur Bourque suggested that it could be better to focus on establishing a uniform speed limit for the downtown area. He added that now, a motorist going down Main Street from Middleton will encounter about five different speed limit changes as they continue toward Route 128 by way of the Common. "We've been dealing with this issue for years on this board," said Bourque, while Selectman Al Merritt said it was "a terrible area of town to drive through."

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With these things in mind, the selectmen asked Breen to work with town DPW Director Dennis Roy in the coming weeks to determine the appropriate speed limit signage for the downtown area.


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