Fletcher Road Speed Limits

[Chris Santee]

To change this back, we would need a petition with 5% of the voters signing to put it on the ballot.
Stacy informs me that it has been warned in the Messenger, so there are only 44 days to go.

If the residents of Fletcher Road want to maintain 50, please call me at 782-0406 and I will help.
Lowering to 40 was recommended by the Road Foreman (for trucks entering at Town Garage)
and Franklin County Sheriff's Department (for safety).

Vermont's highway fatalities are spiking this year.

Just for the record, since I have been on the Selectboard,
I have received dozens of complaints about kids speeding,

but not one complaint about a Speed Trap.

[mkr]

So the Town Garage and County Sheriff's can make this happen with a request to you and we have to ralley the town of Fairfax to get it changed back? I just want to make sure I understand how this all came about Chris.

Being warned in the St. Albans Messenger does me no good as I do not get the paper; but I realize that you have to put it in the local paper.  I rely on the links you send out here for the minutes and I did not read the end of June's; which is my fault.  I was out of town for work and didn't look at them after I returned.

And my other question is if they are having problems with people doing the speed limit now, why do the sheriff's office think reducing it to 40mph will make it better.  All I see is a bigger speeding ticket and more revenue...

[NPM, LLC]

I don't see how a change in the speed limit from 50 to 40 is going to make these speeding "kids" stop speeding.  Let's change the rules or make new rules instead of enforcing the one's we've got?  I can't see how that's going to work. (I really wish they'd put their time and our money into making it safer to pull off from Swamp Rd.  I don't care if they are doing 40 or 50, you still can't see over that hill!)

[Henry]

From the Minutes of 6/26/2012:

"Chris made a motion to adopt the speed study for Fletcher Road at 40 m.p.h. from approximately FR0099 to extend to the Fletcher Town line. Tom seconded the motion. Discussion. The motion carried with a vote of 4-0-1."

How about at the next Selectboard Meeting Chris, you make the motion to recind this.  The Fairfax Town Garage perhaps has the best entrance & exit view in town.  To the best of my knowledge, there has never been an accident there.  I find it just a bit out to lunch to require a petition of 5% of the voters to get this on a ballot where 4,000 or so voters are asked if they want to undo what 4 people did.

There is a snow ball's chance in hell that this would ever happen and my suggestion would be that the Selectboard find some way of correcting this.

[Corm]

From the Minutes of 6/26/2012:

"Chris made a motion to adopt the speed study for Fletcher Road at 40 m.p.h. from approximately FR0099 to extend to the Fletcher Town line. Tom seconded the motion. Discussion. The motion carried with a vote of 4-0-1."

How about at the next Selectboard Meeting Chris, you make the motion to recind this.  The Fairfax Town Garage perhaps has the best entrance & exit view in town.  To the best of my knowledge, there has never been an accident there.  I find it just a bit out to lunch to require a petition of 5% of the voters to get this on a ballot where 4,000 or so voters are asked if they want to undo what 4 people did.

There is a snow ball's chance in hell that this would ever happen and my suggestion would be that the Selectboard find some way of correcting this.

I strongly agree with Henry on this! Chris, are you listening to all of us? So far I've counted 2 folks in favor of the change, and all the rest of us oppose it.

Corm

[mirjo]

Have to do something that's "town business," otherwise, there isn't any point in having a board. Changing the speed limit on Fletcher Road, won't stop the kids who drive fast on that road, just like gun laws don't stop crime, speed limits don't stop speeders. If they did, there wouldn't be 'speed-traps' set up for law enforcement  agencies to make a buck. It's a pretty decent revenue source, esp when they ticket people going less than 10mph over the posted limit, which is what will happen on FR in most cases.

As far as accidents go, I know there have been a few, but not sure how many were high speed.

[vtoutdoorguymb]

I lived on Fletcher Road for a year, and yes some cars go fast. Most, however go an appropriate speed. I don't follow the logic either folks. A very small number of people brought this issue forward, and it goes up for a vote. Now 5% of the town has to organize a signature drive to get it re-voted?

As a highly-traveled road it certainly effects a large number of people, both those who live in town and those who don't. Obviously, there are some spots that are not safe for a 50mph speed such as some of the corners. People tend to slow down for things like that, and they do. On their own. I don't think that making the entire road 40mph does anything other than make it easier to get a speeding ticket.

[rogers9993]

Has the town ever looked into putting a rotary on Fletcher Rd near the town garage to slow cars down? Maybe something where you would be required to drive around the rotary 2 or 3 times before proceeding would be sufficient.

And while we are at it why don't we look into getting the speed limit changed on the portion of I-89 that runs through Fairfax. I'm not sure how selectboard members can sleep at night knowing cars are going 65 MPH. Something like 35 or 40 MPH seems more appropriate.

Is it possible to make a motion at the next selectboard meeting to adopt a Selectboard Motto? Something like "Protecting you from yourself, 10 MPH at a time" or "40, it's the new 50"

[Travis]

[kevin]

Where can the speed study be found?

[mkr]

The speed study is posted in the General Discussion Kevin

[mkr]

I will post what I presented to the Select Board after I meet with them tonight. ~Mary Kay Raymond

[Stand Alone Defense]

LOL this is like Obamacare but for speed limits!! HAHAHA

[Henry]

I was very proud of Mary Kay, she did a great job sifting through a lot of information along with the help of her sister Sharon. This could definitely be pursued, but would cost the town money if a petition and vote went through. I was also very impressed with David Shea and Tom Fontaine who truly listened to Mary Kay and Tom made an excellent suggestion. It also brought out the fact that a better job needs to be done to bring forth what is going on at the Town Office on my forum. Not sure how I will do it, but will try to make sure the information is made available, as I personally don't read the bulletin boards as I go into Steeple Market or The Town Office and even though it is published in the Messenger, it is another area that I rarely read. Congratulations Mary Kay, you did an excellent job and kept your cool in a room where you pretty much stood alone. I also want to thank the selectboard for placing us at the beginning of the meeting instead of making us wait until 10 or 10:30 at night at the end of the meeting -

[mkr]

I also wanted to make a point that I had learned.  The Sheriff's Department had no involvement with bringing this or deciding on Fletcher Road Speed Change.  They do as requested by the select board.  They do a great job for the community and I appreciate all they do. 

If they are requested to sit on Fletcher Road not just patrolling; it is because they were advised to by the select board.