Getting Answers: Northampton City Council to vote on reduced default speed limit

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Northampton city council is scheduled to vote on an order that impacts drivers and pedestrians on Thursday.

The order is to lower the default speed limit from 30 to 25 miles per hour. Western Mass News spoke with Northampton city council president Jim Nash to learn more.

Drivers may lighten their feet on the gas next time they drive through the city of Northampton.

City council members are voting on an order Thursday night that reduces the city’s default speed limit from 30 to 25 miles per hour.

This would apply to side streets and quieter roads where there isn’t a posted speed limit, like Olive Street and High Street in Florence.

According to the order, nearly 70 communities including Chicopee, Greenfield and Springfield have already lowered their statutory speed limits to 25 miles per hour on a citywide, townwide, or street by street basis.

We spoke with city council president Jim Nash, who is a co-sponsor of this proposal.

“People across the city are interested in seeing travel speed by cars reduced, this is one of the mechanisms we can use to start promoting that across the city,” said Nash.

He admitted this isn’t a drastic change in speed, but this order can lead to safer streets for everyone.

“The other thing that is embedded in the ordinance is the city doing the citywide traffic study of all of our speed limits and developing an overall plan,” added Nash. “It’s part of an initiative city wide to reduce travel speeds for public safety.”

We also spoke with residents for their thoughts. Gyuri Kepes said he is for anything that helps keep his daughter safe on their walks.

“I live on a side street right on walnut and we see people zooming right through so anytime we can increase pedestrian safety I think that’s a positive development,” expressed Kepes.

While Christian Newland is for pedestrian safety, he said he doesn’t see too much speeding near his home on Main Street.

The city council meeting is scheduled to start tonight at 7 p.m., if passed the order is slated to go into effect next month and the Department of Public Works will put up signs reflecting the change.