Despite councilman’s objections, town approves speed changes

By Dan King
Town councilman Farrell Prefountaine returned from a lengthy medical leave at last Wednesday’s board meeting and he wasted no time jumping right into the thick of things.
The first vote after Prefountaine’s return seemed like it would be a pretty simple one; his fellow council members had proposed a speed limit reduction on a litany of roads throughout Whitehall, in order to accommodate an increase in “slow moving vehicles.”
When it came time to vote on the proposal, Supervisor George Armstrong, as well as Council members John Rozell, Stefanie Safka and Dave Hollister all voted in favor of the proposal. However, Prefountaine voted against the proposal, which could take over a year to be implemented.
While Armstrong stated that 55 miles per hour was “simply too fast” for the roads, Prefountaine countered saying that “40 is just too low.”
“Even if this proposal did get passed, how is it going to be enforced?” Prefountaine pondered, “There is not a heavy police presence on these roads.”
Many of the roads that Prefountaine is referring to are county and state-owned roads, which fall under the jurisdiction of those larger entities, instead of the Whitehall police.
Prefountaine received some backing on his stance from some residents in attendance who wondered how this new speed limit would be enforced and if those who are travelling at dangerous speeds in the first place would follow the new limits.
Even board members who voted in favor of the proposal seemed a little less confident in their vote after hearing Prefountaine’s side of the story.
Safka said she wasn’t entirely sure that the roads were patrolled heavy enough by police to enforce the new limits, but said that she thinks it will still lower the speed of reckless drivers.
“Some people, like me, will follow the posted limits because they’re scared of getting caught speeding; we don’t need to even see the police,” Safka jested.
Despite Prefountaine’s efforts to oppose the proposal, it has been sent to Washington County for approval. After the county signs off on the proposal, it will be passed on to the state, where the decision is ultimately made.
After testing the volume and speed of traffic on the roads listed in the proposal, the state will decide to either approve the town’s proposed reduction, keep the speed limits the same or suggest a speed limit other than the one proposed by the town.
The following roads could have speed limits reduced to 40 miles per hour, if the county and state approve, Beckett Road, Beckwith Road, Stalker Road, Upper Turnpike Road, Abair Road, Winters Road, Buckley Road, Hatch Hill Road, County Routes 9, 9a, 9b, 10, 11, 12, 18 and 21.