Police Chief Ed Denmark told selectmen this week that based on a preliminary speed study he had conducted at their request, the 40 mph speed limit on Ayer Road is appropriate. That number was at issue—and still is—mostly due to complaints by the residents who live there.
Jenifer and Gus Fraser of 60 Ayer Road brought their concerns about speeding traffic near their home and elsewhere in town to the selectmen’s meeting once again this week. This time they presented what Jenifer Fraser called “an informal petition” signed by 50 residents who she said had similar concerns.
Although she and her husband appreciated the attention Town Administrator Tim Bragan and Police Chief Ed Denmark had given to the problem, she said the “blind driveway” signs and convex mirrors erected near their home would not solve it. “Can we push the 30 mph limit farther out?” she asked, noting that the lower limit set for another section of Ayer Road would make sense on theirs, with its steep descents, no shoulder, and several blind driveways, as well as a risky intersection with Mill Road.
The selectmen asked Denmark to conduct a speed study to determine the average speed of traffic on Ayer Road, which he said was a must-do before a speed limit could be changed on a state road or numbered route.
Last week, after electronic equipment he was using to collect data broke down, he did it “the old-fashioned way,” Denmark said, counting 167 vehicles over a one-hour period.
The goal was to determine how fast most vehicles travel on the road to determine whether the speed limit could be changed and by how much. Based on the “85th percentile” of traffic speed, which he measured at 45 mph, the limit might be reduced by 7 mph, he said. Rounded off, that would be 40 mph, which is the current posted limit.
It will never go below that benchmark, Denmark said, unless “extenuating circumstances” such as frequent motor vehicle accidents or the condition of the road called for a lower limit. Denmark concluded that the road can handle the existing speed. The numbers he came up with show that “only a handful” of vehicles exceed the speed limit, so there’s no justification for increased police enforcement, he said. But he acknowledged that his test period was short and his sample small. And there had been changes in the roadway since the 40 mph speed limit was posted, he said, such as more trees, houses, and fences, all of which could interfere with sight lines.
Denmark recommended increasing the sight lines, perhaps by removing or trimming trees and by repositioning a fence that might obscure the view from the driveway. But Selectwoman Lucy Wallace said that from a “public safety standpoint,” slowing down traffic was still a good idea. “Can’t we have an advisory speed?” she asked. Selectman Leo Blair backed her up. “Can we ask people to go slower?” he asked.
Yes, Denmark replied, and advisory signs don’t require state approval. He agreed to ask the Department of Public Works to place yellow 30 to 35 mph signs beneath the “blind driveway” signs on the same poles. “They can be effective,” he said of the advisory signs.
“This is not a Fraser 60 Ayer Road issue,” Jenifer Fraser told the board. Citing her survey, she said that speeding traffic is perceived to be a townwide problem and should be addressed. Not to do so is like saying to travelers, “speed on in,” instead of “slow down,” she said. Amid the studies and the calculations, she wondered where the residents’ opinions on public safety come in.
“I hear where you folks are coming from,” Denmark said, “but artificially low speed limits don’t work.” He agreed to do another speed study, electronically, and report back to the selectmen.
