Blowing Rock council votes to cut posted speed on Green Hill Road to 20 mph after public hearing

The Blowing Rock Town Council voted July 14 to lower the posted speed limit on the town-maintained portion of Green Hill Road from 25 miles per hour to 20.

The decision followed a public hearing that drew scores of residents and detailed presentations from neighborhood advocates and the police department. Tricia Aiken, who identified herself as a Green Hill resident, told the council southbound traffic had increased 79% from 2021 to 2024 and that “75% of the traffic is speeding” at a monitored location, arguing a lower posted limit combined with signage and truck restrictions would protect children and older residents.

Police Chief Nathan Kirk presented radar- and enforcement-based data, saying recent targeted enforcement produced a compliance rate as high as 97% in one sampling period but that the department believed engineering solutions could reduce speeds without relying solely on postings. “I think we can achieve this goal through engineering means,” he said, listing rumble strips, speed tables and signage as alternatives, and noting limited staffing for sustained enforcement.

During the council’s deliberations, members expressed support for a multi-pronged approach that pairs a lower posted limit with engineering, targeted enforcement and coordination with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Blue Ridge Parkway. One council member said lowering the limit was the “lowest fruit” but acknowledged it could be part of a broader strategy; another emphasized the volume of cut-through traffic as the core problem.

The motion to lower the posted limit was made and seconded during the meeting and carried on council vote. Council members also asked staff to pursue additional signage to deter through-truck routing, explore weight restrictions or signage at key access points, and request parkway enforcement of existing no-commercial-traffic rules.

Next steps the council directed staff to take include pursuing signage with NCDOT and the parkway, evaluating physical traffic-calming devices (such as removable rubber speed tables where appropriate), and continuing targeted enforcement. The council did not rescind the idea of further engineering or ordinance work to restrict commercial vehicles; it tabled detailed implementation to staff follow-up.

The council’s action applies only to the town-maintained portion of Green Hill Road; the council asked staff to report back with coordination steps and cost estimates at a future meeting.