The Special Speed Regulations established along Swampscott Road were repealed by the City Council in September 2017. As a result, the speed limit on Swampscott Road, which is a City controlled roadway, is 25 MPH, the Citywide base speed limit.

The ‘Citywide base speed limit’ is authorized by the Commonwealth only for thickly settled roadways, which Swampscott Rd is not. Therefore, those 25 mph signs were posted illegally.

It would be real nice if the police would enforce the speed limit what ever it is. I never see anyone doing the speed limit especially the 18-wheel dump trucks coming from the Quarry

Also no trucks on Marlborough Rd. Lower the $25 ticket on parking meters and go after the trucks who are really doing something ticket worthy.

I get the feeling these rejections are an attempt to stop people from using this forum by the city.

Thank you for explaining the speed limit change.

Nancy, why are you closing someone else's seeclickfix report? are you a City employee?

Hi Nancy,

Please allow me me to explain the speed limit change further:

In addition to the 'thickly settled' point I already mentioned, a posted speed limit cannot be simply repealed by an act of a City Council. It can only be changed by a new traffic study conducted in accordance with the federal MUTCD guidelines.

Furthermore, the 25 MPH 'Citywide base speed limit' that you are referring to is authorized only for UNPOSTED City controlled roadways.

Perhaps you should double-check with Mr. Knowlton, P.E., the City Engineer, before hastily closing the issue here.

Thank you

Mr. Knowlton's email from January 9, 2018:
"We are reviewing the speed limit issue with district 4, you are correct that the limits wil likely return to previous speeds.
We will resolve as soon as possible."

Well, it's official: THESE are the legal speed limits on Swampscott Road. The fairly recent 25 mph change for the whole road is illegal and therefore unenforceable

Thank you for your comments. The Traffic and Parking Department is working to return the speed limit signs to the the limits established through the speed study. Thank you.

Thank you for the response, however I'd like to keep this issue open until the signs are actually posted.

State law requires that “thickly settled areas,” like much of Salem, have required speed limits of 30 mph, unless a posted sign says otherwise. In order to post a sign with a different limit, a city and Mass. Department of Transportation must study vehicle speeds in the area. The traffic study would observe vehicle speeds over a period of time, and then set the limit “at or below [the speed] which 85 percent of the motorists travel.”

Salem Traffic & Parking: Is there a time estimate on when the speed limit signs will return to the limits established through the speed study? Thank you.

"Thank you for reaching out re: the speed limit signs on Swampscott Road.

I am aware of this issue, and I am working to correct it. When the City adopted a City-wide speed limit of 25 mph, we knew certain roads would not fall into that category, including this section of Swampscott Road. However, the City Council repealed the special speed limit zones for this section of the road last fall, and the signage was changed.

We have been working with the Council to have this action reversed, and then make sure the correct, accurate signage is posted.

I agree with you entirely that we should not be arbitrarily changing speed limits anywhere in the City, and I share your frustration about the resulting confusion from this back and forth. I hope to be able to resolve this issue in the near future.

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any further questions or concerns, on this or any other transportation issue.

Best,

Nick Downing
Acting Director of Traffic and Parking"

If posting signs that actually reflect the legal speed limit instead of fictitious numbers is too much to ask, perhaps fixing the drainage issues on the road would be more acceptable to the city bureaucrats...

It appears to me that all of these comments and concerns are simply getting lip service from the city. The reason I say that is because the city has been very clear that nothing is going to get done until the state does the entire Boston St, Highland Ave, Swampscott Rd corridor. This is years away. If you drive on any of these roads it is very obvious nothing is being done for a final fix. Call our state reps and ask them because the city is not responding.

"Many thanks for reaching out and for sharing your concern. I have been working closely with the police and our Traffic and Parking department to address a number of traffic related issues throughout the Swampscott Road area - several of which deal with signs that are not related to any city ordinances, or (like in this case, if I am not mistaken) which deal with signs related to ordinances that the city passed that are not in compliance with state or federal standards. I appreciate you raising this concern. We have a number of questions we are working on together to help traffic flow more easily throughout this corridor, and I will be sure this specific concern is part of that effort. Thank you! - Lisa Peterson, City Councillor - Ward 3, Salem"

So how many city officials does it take to do the right thing and not lie to the people?

https://tinyurl.com/y8k5mlzl

"The government, as well as the governed, must follow the law, and in habeas it is the court's duty to ensure that it does," Federal Judge Mark Wolf wrote in his 62-page opinion today.

So, Salem, how long are you going to ignore this issue?

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New reasonable speeds have been posted.