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Weston committee orders more patrols after neighborhood speeding data; declines to change Alderson speed limit
Summary
Committee asked police to collect additional speed-trailer and patrol data on Malard Court before considering a speed‑limit change and voted to keep Weston's 35 mph designation near the Alderson Street roundabout despite a Rothschild request to lower a short segment to 25 mph.
The Weston Community Life and Public Safety Committee on Nov. 3 voted to have the police department perform additional patrols and gather more speed‑trailer data on Malard Court after residents reported speeding concerns. The committee also declined a request to match a neighboring jurisdiction’s reduced speed signs near a reconstructed roundabout, choosing to maintain Weston's existing 35 mph designation.
During discussion of Malard Court, staff and police reviewed one month of speed data showing most vehicles traveling in the mid‑30s and a single extreme reading of 68 mph. Police noted the trailer that recorded the 68 mph event in one instance was not the radar trailer but an officer sitting in the street. Staff explained changing a posted limit typically requires a traffic analysis (including the 85th‑percentile speed) and review of access points and turning movements; members agreed more data and targeted enforcement were needed. A motion by Olsson to have the chief conduct patrols for another month or two passed.
On an interjurisdictional request, the Village of Rothschild had placed 25 mph signs on a short segment of Alderson Street approaching a shared roundabout; Rothschild asked Weston to adopt the same change. Committee members raised concerns about process consistency and potential driver confusion from differing signs across a short corridor. After discussing enforcement alternatives (radar signs, targeted patrols) and noting no clear crash spike, members voted to maintain Weston's 35 mph speed limit on the segment.
Why it matters: Residents and staff cited pedestrian safety and neighborhood livability; police underscored enforcement practicality and the need to follow traffic‑engineering analysis when changing posted limits. The committee emphasized additional monitoring and nonregulatory remedies (temporary radar signs, focused enforcement) before altering speed limits.
Next steps: Police will conduct additional patrols and gather more data for Malard Court; staff will report back to the committee. For the Alderson Street request, the committee voted to preserve the village’s current 35 mph posting.
