Woburn City Council Holds Off On 20 MPH Decision

WOBURN, MA -- The city is considering a proposal to lower the speed limit to 20 mph in 10 areas of town that have been designated as "vulnerable locations." The Traffic Commission has already endorsed the proposal, which is aimed at areas where the city believes the lower speed limit could protect children, senior citizens and cyclists from injury. Woburn City Council, however, held off on making the proposal law earlier this month, and instead referred the matter to its Liaison Committee for further review.

"I just want to make sure people are aware, so a person who's been driving 30 m.p.h. down a certain street for the past 30 years isn't going to all of a sudden get pulled over and ticketed," Council President Rich Haggerty said.

The new zones would be around parks, routes to school, daycare facilities and big, multi-unit housing complexes. Speed limits in school zones are already set at 20 mph when children are present. The new areas were identified by public safety officials under new state rules allowing the vulnerable location designation.

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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).