Taking On the Capitol: Major Road Change Hopefully Coming to Beacon, NY

Beacon is taking their fight straight to the top. Finally, an issue that has been plaguing the city for years, according to a local councilmember, may finally be resolved. They just need to take it to the capitol to finally get it done.

The issue at hand is the current city-wide 30 miles-per-hour speed limit. According to state guidelines, 30 mph is the lowest limit allowed on public roads, something that Beacon is aiming to change with a recent resolution.

Of course there are exceptions, like lower speed limits in school zones while schools are in session, but it was surprising to learn that municipalities are prohibited from posting limits lower than 30mph on "regular" roads. The City Council's aim, other than to put the power in the hands of local municipalities, is to change Beacon's limit from 30mph to 25mph, and in some cases, even lower. The council pointed specifically to Main Street, where they highlighted the fact that there currently aren't any posted speed limit signs.

As committee chair Stowe Boyd told the Highlands Current,

We were concerned that it is inherently dangerous to have cars tooling along at whatever the speed limit is in people’s heads, which is somewhat more than the city speed limits are, and occasionally it is ridiculously fast

Personally, I always get caught up in siding with whichever mode of transportation I'm currently using. When I'm in a car, I can't believe how slow 30mph feels, but when I'm a pedestrian, I'm shocked at the audacity of someone who would go even one mph over the limit. To side with the council, there's no way that most cars obey the 30mph signs, especially on North Avenue, but will lowering it even further actually have an effect? There may be only one way to find out, but first, Albany has to respond to Beacon's City Council. The resolution that the Council recently passed asks the State to review their policy of the 30mph minimum and to let municipalities have the option of a 25mph limit.