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Resident pushes Church Street 25 mph and truck limits; committee backs targeted 25-mph recommendation
Summary
Resident Bob Wall urged reductions, signage and truck restrictions for Church Street; after engineering and enforcement discussion the committee voted to ask the select board to reduce Church Street to 25 mph from 122 Church to Main and asked police to gather additional speed data.
Resident Bob Wall asked the Northborough Traffic Safety Committee to address speeding and heavy trucks on Church Street, presenting mapped suggestions that included lowering the limit from 35 to 25 in the more congested lower section, adding speed signs, posting no-tandem-trailer signage, and considering time‑of‑day truck restrictions.
Scott Charpentier and the town’s traffic engineer agreed much of Lower Church is geometrically narrow and recommended a 25‑mph limit from Main Street south to a point near Colby Street (the engineer suggested an appropriate north limit tied to the horizontal curve; Scott recommended 122 Church Street as a clear geographic end). The engineer noted data-driven MassDOT traffic studies use the 80th‑percentile speed but that the select board can designate local streets as 25 mph where the town controls the road.
The committee voted to recommend to the select board that Church Street be reduced to 25 mph beginning at 122 Church Street in both directions. The motion was moved by Brian Griffin and seconded by Rachel Armstrong; roll-call results were Rachel Armstrong — Aye; Kate Gerard — No (said she lacked enough information); Brian Griffin — Aye; Chair — Aye. Sergeant McDonald agreed to deploy a mobile speed sign at the pole area to collect one‑ to two‑week samples of speed data (noting snow conditions can skew results).
Members also discussed truck impacts. Bob Wall and others said tandem tractor‑trailers pound sewer and water manholes and suggested no‑tandem signage and limiting truck hours; Scott and police staff said some truck routing recommendations face jurisdictional constraints and that tandem-trailer restrictions and detours that cross into neighboring towns are often impractical. Town administration and police planned immediate engagement with Amazon and relevant property owners to seek compliance and operational remedies.
Next steps: staff will draft the select‑board memo and Sergeant McDonald will place a mobile speed sign to gather data before the select board hears the committee’s recommendation.
