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Residents petition to lower speed on Roxbury Street; committee asks staff for study
Summary
A petition from Upper Roxbury Street residents asking the city to reduce speeds prompted the Municipal Services, Facilities & Infrastructure Committee to ask staff for targeted speed counts, sight‑distance checks and engineering options; committee unanimously referred the matter for staff evaluation.
Alan Houston, a resident of 362 Roxbury Street, presented a petition asking the city to lower the posted speed limit on Roxbury Street between Water Street and Lincoln Street, saying drivers “just fly down the hill” and recounting a January near‑miss when a plow operator narrowly avoided collision. Houston told the committee that sidewalks end partway up the hill and that many schoolchildren walk in the area to reach nearby parks.
City staff confirmed the current posted speed is 30 miles per hour and reminded the committee of state limits on how low municipalities may set speed zones. The city engineer said state statute RSA 265:62 governs establishment and alteration of local speed zones and noted that, in practice, signs alone sometimes produce little or no reduction in vehicle speeds.
Several public speakers and councilors urged both engineering fixes and enforcement. Bobby Williams, a nearby resident, said engineering changes that physically slow traffic could be more effective than sign changes alone. Other members supported short‑term countermeasures such as radar‑triggered flash signs and targeted enforcement; one councilor encouraged advocacy to state lawmakers to allow automated camera enforcement.
After discussion, the committee voted unanimously to place the petition on more time and directed staff to collect speed data, evaluate site distance and potential engineering solutions, and return with a recommendation.
The committee’s referral is a staff‑directed study rather than a directive to change the posted limit; any change to the speed limit will need to follow state law and be supported by engineering data. Staff said they will return with findings for the committee’s further consideration.
