Aaron Williams

I run a local advocacy group called Strong Towns Seacoast. We routinely advocate for safer streets in the Sea Coast region of New Hampshire. One of our major points of advocacy is that speeds along streets where walking, biking, and multimodal transportation is expected or intended need automobiles to be traveling at a compatible speed, specifically 20MPH or less. Biking, walking, riding, scooters, and other forms of transportation all feel safer and more comfortable at these speeds. This feeling of comfort and safety is not misplaced. Studies routinely show that speed is a major factor in crash survivability. If an automobile collides with a pedestrian, the chance of fatality at 20 miles per hour is 5%. As you go upwards in speed, the chance of fatality dramatically increases by the time that you get to 30 miles per hour, the chance of fatality is 50%. To make matters worse, higher speeds increase the distance that drivers need to successfully respond to a pedestrian, which increases the likelihood of crashes. One of the obstacles that we have consistently come up against is city staff of Dover, New Hampshire telling us that they cannot do speed limits lower than 25MPH. They say they cannot enforce anything lower than 25MPH, and even 25MPH requires effort and studies just to implement. Therefore, the result is typically 30MPH speed limits on almost all residential streets, including streets that have schools on them. 20MPH is plenty of speed for cars to move through a space safely that does not disrupt walking, biking, or other forms of transportation. Street safety is so important to building a strong town, a town that fosters community, a town that is financially resilient, and a town that feels like a place that you're proud to live in. Please vote to lower the speed limits that are allowed to be posted to 20MPH.