Town staff previews traffic-calming guidelines, resident-driven process and equipment inventory

Parker Murphy, the town’s traffic engineer, briefed council on draft traffic-calming guidelines intended to create a standardized, resident-driven process for investigating and responding to speed and neighborhood safety concerns.

Murphy said the town’s population has more than doubled over the last 20 years and that speed perception is a common resident concern; he cited the safety action plan finding that 61% of respondents listed high vehicle speeds among their top concerns. The proposed process pairs resident petitions and neighborhood-led requests with data collection and an engineering evaluation to determine appropriate measures.

Murphy described a toolbox of measures ranked roughly from least to most expensive: lane markings and striping, targeted enforcement and speed feedback signs, temporary radar devices and, where warranted, physical devices such as speed tables. He cautioned about pavement compatibility and operational trade-offs on chip-seal roads and highlighted that physical devices can complicate snowplow operations.

On equipment, staff said police operate two speed trailers and the town has four speed-feedback signs (two permanently deployed on Glassford Hill). Murphy noted lower-cost radar add-ons that can convert existing message boards into speed-feedback devices as interim solutions, and he said some measures may require additional sign and maintenance budget.

Council and staff emphasized a three-part approach—education, enforcement and engineering—and agreed to continue refining the guideline as a resident-requested process that also supports targeted enforcement and temporary measures. No council action was taken; staff will integrate feedback and may return with budget implications for additional equipment or maintenance.