WESTFORD — Griffin Road and a section of Boston Road will have their speed limits reduced to 25 miles per hour in the coming weeks.
During a Dec. 12 meeting, the Select Board unanimously voted to reduce the speed limit on Griffin Road and voted 4-1 to reduce the speed limit on a section of Boston Road between Main Street and Crown Road.
The change impacts the entirety of Griffin Road, but only impacts a section of Boston Road between Main Street to about Crown Road, where the town has exclusive jurisdiction.
The remainder of the road, from about Crown Road to I-495, is under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation until the road is reconstructed, after which the entire road will be under the jurisdiction of the town.
Board members, public share thoughts
Member Chris Barrett cast the dissenting vote on the Boston Road motion.
“This is tough for me,” Barret, who also serves on the Pedestrian Safety Committee, said. “I’m a huge proponent of trying to make our roads safer.”
He added, “I would like to see the road redesigned and the speed controls put in place. I’d like to see the speed limit be uniform and I’d like us to collect data before I necessarily say go ahead and place a quarter mile of this road under 17C.”
Other members, like Andrea Peraner-Sweet, agreed with Barrett, but said that the town “has a problem now.”
“We are at least two years away, I believe, from construction starting on Boston Road and that’s assuming we’re on time,” she said. “To address the immediate problem, I will vote in favor of this. We have a problem that I think needs to be addressed now.”
Residents, like Bill Harman, noted that towns like Bedford and Lexington have adopted townwide 25-mile-per-hour speed limits unless otherwise posted.
“They regard 25 as a useful speed and it only costs a few extra seconds [of driving],” Harman said.
Others, like Newell Tillman, suggested adopting a weight limit to Boston Road in addition to the updated limit to “improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety and substantially reduce noise level.”
Concerns over enforcement
Police Chief Mark Chambers raised concerns over the change to Boston Road after the motion passed, citing that an “artificially low” speed limit could cause issues for the Police Department.
“I do believe that artificially deflating that speed limit will cause an unrealistically low speed limit that can lead to more crashes,” he said. “It’s going to promote two distinct drivers, those who will attempt to observe that speed limit and those driving at what they feel is reasonable and prudent.”
He also noted potential constitutionality issues with the reduced limit during certain traffic stops.
“[It could create] an unconstitutional situation where if we stop a vehicle for a 25-mile-per-hour violation, and we secure some sort of evidence that leads to a major arrest, those types of things can be thrown out of court because the constitutionality of that artificially decreased speed limit will be considered by the court,” he said.
He added, “It’s almost creating a speed trap.”
Despite this, Chambers says the department will “do their best to enforce” the new limit.
Other roads with reduced speed limits
Last year, voters adopted Massachusetts General Law c. 90 Section 17C, which allows the Select Board to establish speed limits on certain roads, such as thickly settled residential districts or business districts.
Earlier this year, the Select Board unanimously voted to establish 25-mile-per-hour speed limits on Patten Road, a section of West Prescott Street and Pleasant Street, and a section of Main Street.
Like with other sections of 25-mile-per-hour roadway, the change will take effect once new signage is installed by the Department of Public Works.
