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Residents ask Cairo board for truck weight limits and lower speeds on Round Top roads
Summary
Residents led by Mace Burr urged the Town of Cairo on July 1 to impose truck weight limits, lower speed limits and add a four-way stop at a Round Top intersection, saying increased construction and traffic have made narrow residential roads unsafe. The board said DOT approval is required and action may take up to a year.
Residents of the Round Top area told the Town of Cairo Board on July 1 that recent increases in traffic related to local development have made Crow’s Nest Road, Blackhead Mountain Road and Bald Hills Road unsafe for drivers and pedestrians.
Mace Burr, speaking on behalf of the petitioners, said the roads are “residential winding roads, narrow with inclines” and asked the board to evaluate them for safety, seek truck weight-restriction signs, reduce speed limits to no more than 30 mph, and install a full four-way stop at the intersection of the named roads. Burr cited state law, saying “NYS Law hold Municipalities responsible to assure that there roadways are maintained in a safe condition.”
Supervisor Watts told residents that many changes they requested — including official speed-limit postings and stop-sign installations — require approval from the New York State Department of Transportation. He said the Town has previously requested lower limits for other roads and that the state in some cases would not approve a reduction below 45 mph. Watts said the board has increased police presence in the area, with State Troopers, County Sheriffs and Town Police making checks, and that the town will raise the petition with the Town attorney and the DOT; he cautioned any change is not likely to be immediate and could take months to about a year.
Residents pressed the board on damage to road surfaces from heavy vehicles and recounted a recent incident involving a poorly marked well truck left on the roadway; Watts said vehicles without proper signage can be ticketed and encouraged citizens to report road damage to Art and the DOT so the town can pursue enforcement.
The petition asks the board to act on signage, speed reductions and a stop at the intersection. The Town’s next step, as stated at the meeting, is to consult the Town attorney and submit the safety requests to the State DOT for review. No DOT decision or local regulatory change was made at the July 1 meeting.
