Dedham on the Road to Lower Speed Limits

DEDHAM, MA — Soon, drivers in Dedham might not be able to legally drive over 25 mph on the roads without speed limit signs.

Taking advantage of a new state law, the selectmen voted last week to move forward with lowering the town's speed limit from 30 mph to 25, following the lead of Boston, where the speed limit was recently decreased.

The law, part of the Municipal Modernization Act of 2015, allows municipalities lower the statutory speed limit for roads without speed limit signs. Streets with posted higher limits will not be impacted by change.

While the board backed the idea, there's more work to be done. Town Engineer Jason Mammone told the selectmen that he now must work with town counsel to create the proper language for the town's traffic regulations and return it for a vote. At that point, the new regulation goes into public notice and if no one appeals over 21 days, then the town will likely have slower cars on their roads.

Board members largely backed the idea, noting that it could make the roads safer.

"With GPS, Google, and so forth, people are finding shortcuts and some of our streets are becoming cut throughs. I’ve gotten calls about it," Selectman Brendan Keogh said.

Image: File photo