Residents press for lower speeds; Lancaster board asks Erie County for a formal speed study

The Lancaster Town Board voted to request that the Erie County Department of Public Works perform a formal speed study on William Street to evaluate a potential speed limit reduction between Avian Way and Schwartz Road.

The measure (Resolution 15) authorizes the town clerk to file the NYSDOT TE-9A form on behalf of the town and asks the county to expedite the study. Council member Schroeder presented the resolution, which the board approved on roll call.

During public comment, resident Charles Jasinski of 25 Saybrook Drive urged the board to seek a 40 mph limit for the stretch from Bowen to Schwartz to account for recent housing growth (he cited multiple new subdivisions and increased traffic), more school-age children in adjacent neighborhoods, and the proliferation of delivery vehicles and micro-mobility devices. "We would like to see from Bowen all the way to Schwartz, 40 miles an hour," Jasinski said.

Town staff and the board noted that William Street is a county road and that the county will determine any change after the speed study. Highway staff said the town has submitted the request and that the county will make the traffic-zone determination. "We made the request to the county to conduct [the] speed study. Based on that study, then they'll make the determination to..." a staff member said.

What happens next: the town clerk will forward the completed TE-9A and the adopted resolution to Erie County DPW; the county will review the study results and decide whether to change the posted speed limit. Any county decision would be separate from town authority.