The speed limit will be changing at the intersection of College Street and Beaman Street for drivers headed in the downtown direction.
Green light given to lower limit to 25 mph
A resolution was passed by the Clinton City Council this week giving the green light for a speed limit change on College Street entering the downtown area.
Based on a recommendation from Clinton Police Chief Anthony Davis, the Council voted unanimously to approve the resolution for a reduction of the speed limit, to be placed at the intersection of College Street and Beaman Street. The action was made Tuesday during the Council’s January workshop.
For drivers headed in the downtown direction, passing CVS and First Baptist Church, the speed limit will soon be changed from 35 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour at that location, a move being made after the completion of a traffic report with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
The report found the average speed for cars going through that area to be 30 miles per hour, so the change also seeks to make sure vehicles are slowing down earlier en route to the 20 mph limit along the square. The change is also partially rooted in wanting consistency across speed limits on the streets that lead to the square, officials said.
“We want to be proactive about making sure we slow that traffic down before they make it into downtown,” Davis said
In addition to the change in the speed limit on College Street, there are plans to add additional signage along roads in the near future, specifically those that lead to downtown Clinton.
These new signs will have the speed limit posted and be equipped with lights as a means of ensuring those on the roadway are alert while entering the downtown area. Being digital signs, they will have the capability to flash messages like “too fast” or “slow down” as drivers pass by.
“Most of the time, when there are accidents involving pedestrians, it is caused by inattention,” Davis explained.
The use of phones while driving is a huge cause of inattention on the road, but the idea is that the lights will draw attention, the chief noted. In addition to ensuring drivers are paying extra attention to pedestrians, the signs will be able to provide the department with general data on the speeds of cars when passing these signs.
This will help them deduce which roads might have more speedsters than others and, thus, which streets need to be focused on in enforcing the speed limits.
With new businesses continuing to plant roots in downtown Clinton, this move is also somewhat preemptive in nature, with Davis saying, “Because we know there are these new businesses coming downtown, which will increase foot traffic, we’d rather be ahead of it.”
These actions being taken locally aim to make the City of Clinton, and the downtown area in particular, safer for pedestrians and drivers alike while also making the rules of the road as straightforward as possible, local officials said.
Davis also mentioned intentions to work with the NCDOT on making changes to some speed limits and their sign placements around town as a way to achieve consistency among the roads leading to the square.
“They have a 20 miles per hour sign on Lisbon Street, but if you’re going away from the square, they have a 25 miles per hour sign,” Davis said, citing an example. “So there’s a little bit of confusion there, for instance.”