The Southold Town Board is taking steps to lower speed limits on County Road 48 in Southold.
During its work session earlier this month, the board discussed a memo from the Southold Transportation Commission supporting reducing speed limits on Middle Road, the county-owned thoroughfare commonly known as North Road.
Currently, speed limits in the area range between 40 and 50 miles per hour — often varying from block to block. The recommendations from the Suffolk County Public Works Department suggest reducing the speed limit to 45 across most of the thoroughfare. Officials also said there should be a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour between Leon Road and Chapel Lane, near Town Beach.
“It’s a matter of both safety and enforcement,” Supervisor Al Krupski said in an interview with The Suffolk Times.
Alexander Prego, assistant chief engineer with the county, said during an October Town Board meeting that the recommendations would help improve consistency in speed limits on the well traveled causeway.
“We removed some of what we might call ‘yo-yo’ — some of the up and down,” he said at the October meeting. “None of it is going to be raised, and a good portion of it is going to be lowered.”
County Public Works commissioner Charles Bartha recommended the board adopt a resolution to revise speed limits in a report sent to Mr. Krupski in July. Traffic engineers with the county did a comprehensive study to evaluate whether speed limits on the road were appropriate or if they needed to be lowered.
To make these changes, the Town Board will have to adopt a resolution making the recommended changes. Afterwards, a TE-9 form must be filled out and submitted to the county, which will then execute and submit the request to the state.
Community members are invited to speak on this matter during a public information hearing at the Jan. 21 board meeting at Southold Town Hall.
“One [benefit] is we’ll see how people feel about this, and the second is it reminds the public that … it’s safer to drive at a lower speed, or at least the posted speed limit,” Town Board member Anne Smith, liaison to the transportation commission, said of the Jan. 21 hearing.
Officials said the meeting will offer residents a chance to learn more about the speed limit change.
“We’d appreciate comments on that because it’s important,” Mr. Krupski said.