Traffic Committee backs speed limit reduction proposal

The Canton Traffic Committee will be asking selectmen to sponsor a warrant article at the upcoming May town meeting giving the BOS the authority to set speed limits in certain sections of town at either 20 or 25 miles per hour.

Selectmen would hold public hearings and seek input from the police chief before establishing any new speed limits.

At its quarterly meeting on Monday night, the committee, headed by Selectman Chairman Mark Porter, voted 6-0 to send the proposal to the full Board of Selectmen.

Under a provision in the state’s new Municipal Modernization Law, cities and towns now have the direct authority to establish lower speed limits on any roadway inside a thickly settled district or business district that is not a state highway — and many municipalities, including Randolph and Braintree, have since done so. The law specifically authorizes towns to establish speed limits of 25 mph, or 20 mph in areas designated as “safety zones.”

The issue arose at a previous Traffic Committee meeting when a resident said there are various posted speed limits along the length of Randolph Street.

In other news from the December 10 meeting, Town Planner Laura Smead voiced optimism for the town obtaining a $1.3 million state grant that would improve vehicle and pedestrian safety at the Pleasant-Sherman/Angela Street intersection. Porter described the intersection, which is located within walking distance of the Luce Elementary School, as one of the most dangerous traffic spots in the town.

Smead was the architect of Canton’s Complete Streets Prioritization Plan, which identified the Pleasant Street sidewalk and the Sherman Street/Angela Street intersection as high priority projects. The location received the highest number of safety complaints in a community survey, and Smead said the area has a history of crashes and speeding, unsafe midblock crossings, and site distance visibility issues.

Smead has been working on the grant proposal with the School Department and in particular Luce Principal Robie Peter. Smead plans to submit the proposal soon with hopes of receiving a decision sometime in the first quarter of 2019.

The grant would fund the reconstruction of existing sidewalks, addition of granite curbing, installation of ADA-compliant crossings and wheelchair ramps, and installation of pedestrian signage and a full traffic signal at the intersection as well as radar speed signs. Smead raised the possibility of asking the state to extend the area to include further sections of Pleasant and Prospect Street.

Until the town is notified of the grant decision, Porter asked Town Administrator Charlie Aspinwall to work with the neighbors to cut back trees and bushes to improve site visibility and to reach out to the utility companies to begin the process of removing double utility poles, which are also impeding motorist visibility …

See this week’s Canton Citizen for more highlights from the December 10 Traffic Committee meeting. Click here to order your subscription today.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Dec 15 2018. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.