Speed Limit

BOONSBORO - Speed limits through town have been raised this week to smooth the transition between zones and make enforcement easier for police. The State Highway Administration, in cooperation with the mayor, town council and law enforcement agencies, officially increased the limit on Main Street from 25 mph to 30 mph within the town boundaries. A transition speed limit on the west end of Boonsboro along U.S. 40 Alternate has been lowered from 45 mph to 40 mph. That reduction will be identified with orange panels above the speed limit signs.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - After residents near Morgan's Grove Park have expressed concerns for years about the speed limit in the area along W.Va. 480, the Division of Highways has agreed to reduce the speed limit on the road from 55 mph to 40 mph, according to a news release. Residents have long been concerned about the speed limit on the road near the entrance to Ledge Lowe subdivision and Morgan's Grove Park, according to the release from Platinum PR. Local developer Peter Corum and others communicated the concerns to the Division of Highways, which studied the area and decided to reduce the speed limit, the release said.

SMITHSBURG -- Smithsburg Police Chief George L. Knight Jr. has decided to push for a lower speed limit in Smithsburg's "core" town area after hearing concerns from residents about speeding in the area. The speed limit in the core area is currently 30 mph, but Mayor Mildred "Mickey" Myers said after Tuesday's regular Smithsburg Town Council meeting that town police officers usually don't issue speeding tickets until motorists reach a few miles over the speed limit. Then motorists start abusing that leeway, Myers said.

karenh@herald-mail.com BOONSBORO - For anyone who has driven Shafer Park Drive faster than the posted 10 mph, a Boonsboro Town Council decision to change the speed limit might mean more tickets. During a contentious discussion about possible traffic changes, the Town Council voted Monday night to raise the speed limit on Shafer Park Drive from 10 mph to 25 mph. Some residents said drivers already take the road too fast. Police Chief Jeff Hewett argued raising the speed limit finally will put teeth in the restrictions.

By DON AINES Staff Writer, Martinsburg MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The speed limit may have gone up to 70 mph on some portions of West Virginia's interstates Monday, but until the signs are changed by the Division of Highways the state police want motorists to keep it at 65 mph. "Until the signs go up, it's still 65," said Sgt. Rob Blair of the state police barracks in Martinsburg. He said all of Interstate 81 through Berkeley County will go up to 70 mph, but the timetable for changing the signs is up to the Division of Highways.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- The Washington Township (Pa.) Supervisors tackled several issues related to roads during their meeting Monday. Carroll Sturm, Christopher Firme and Elaine Gladhill, the three supervisors in attendance, started the process to lower the speed limit to 25 mph on two roads. One is a much-debated portion of Mentzer Gap Road from Greenridge Drive to a few hundred feet from Valleywood Drive. Included in that section is a slight curve near Hearthwood Drive, where some people say trees owned by James and Vivian Hickman are causing visibility problems.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- The Waynesboro Borough Council on Wednesday agreed to post speed limit signs on South Church Street, restricting permissible speed to 25 mph. "At present time, there's no speed limit signs on South Church Street and that would indicate the speed limit is 55 mph," Councilman Ronnie Martin said.

HANCOCK - The Hancock Town Council agreed to lower the speed limit on Center Street to 15 miles per hour after a councilman said cars frequently speed on the street. The street's speed limit has been 25 miles per hour. Councilman Darwin Mills, who lives on Center Street, presented the Town Council with a petition signed by residents of the street who wanted a lower speed limit. "I've lived with this for the last four or five years ... It's time for something to be done," Mills said.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - It doesn't matter if the speed limit on Mentzer Gap Road is listed as 25 mph or 35 mph on signs if police don't enforce speeding, residents told the Washington Township (Pa.) Supervisors on Monday. Ten residents of Mentzer Gap Road addressed the supervisors to talk about a proposal to lower the speed limit between Beartown Road and Old Forge Road. While split on whether 25 mph or 35 mph is best, the residents were almost unanimous in saying they feel only enforcement would make a difference.

State to lower speed limit on Guitner Road GREENCASTLE, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will soon change the speed limit on Guitner Road from 45 mph to 40 mph, Antrim Township officials learned this week. During the Antrim Township Supervisor's meeting July 24, a representative from Majestic Custom Homes Inc. of Waynesboro requested that the township ask PennDOT to conduct a speed-limit study on Guitner Road. PennDOT had denied driveway access to a proposed new dwelling on 6399 Guitner Road because the sight distance, or length of the roadway visible to the driver, would not have been adequate in a 45-mph zone.

Del. Neil Parrott, R Washington, is stepping up his campaign to increase the maximum speed limit in the state to 70 miles per hour. Parrott, who is a traffic engineer, has introduced a bill in the current session to increase the speed limit on interstates and state expressways from 65 mph to 70 mph, and raise the maximum speed on the Inter-County Connector - a toll road that connects I-270 in Montgomery County to I-95 in Prince George's County -...

A bill introduced by Del. Neil Parrott, R-Washington, in the current session of the General Assembly seeks to give the State Highway Administration the ability to raise the maximum speed limit on interstates, state expressways and some other highways to 70 miles an hour. Parrott, who is a Republican, is a primary sponsor of the bill with Del. Aruna Miller, a Democrat from Montgomery County. “This bill is going to increase the cap. So the State Highway [the SHA]… if they do a speed study … will have the flexibility to raise the speed limits,” Parrott said.

The first SafeZones Automated Speed Enforcement system in a Washington County work zone has gone into effect along Interstate 70 at the Conococheague Creek as part of the bridge replacement project over the creek, between Exit 24 to Greencastle Pike and Exit 18 to Clear Spring. The cameras began operating on  Nov. 7, according to a release from the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA). The system is currently in a 21-day warning period, which will end Wednesday, Nov. 28, when violations will begin to result in citations.

Maryland officials have lowered the speed limits on interstates and U.S. highways in Maryland to 45 mph, effective immediately and until further notice, and are encouraging people to stay home as during the upcoming height of the storm as conditions continue to deteriorate due to Hurricane Sandy, state officials said Monday afternoon. The speed limit was lowered because of the dangerous combination of speed and high winds, according to the announcement that was released by state officials shortly after 3 p.m. Monday.

Hagerstown says that the results of its automated speed cameras are “better than expected.” Great. So let's quit while we're ahead. The dangers and potential for abuse with for-profit justice would seem to be self-evident, but so many communities (and the private corporations that are egging them on) have been finding clever ways of selling the public a bill of goods, that perhaps a review is in order. It all starts with the children, of course. We put up cameras, just a few, to operate during the school day. Or maybe a little more ... you know, just a little safety overlap, so we can reduce police hours.

The Maryland State Highway Administration will widen and rehabilitate the Interstate 70 bridge over Conococheague Creek west of Hagerstown as part of its bridge preservation and replacement program. During two years of construction, the SHA plans to widen both sides of the bridge by 20 feet, allowing room for drivers to pull over and possibly facilitating the addition of a third lane. The $16.5 million project will extend the life of the bridge by 30 to 50 years, according to a press release from the SHA. Although the bridge is safe for public travel, it is beginning to show signs of deterioration, the SHA said.

Suffering should have right to end their lives To the editor: Lloyd Waters' column (April 8) and Tom Wilhelm's reply (April 14) showed approval of a doctor's role in promoting the right of individuals in Oregon to end their lives under specific conditions. Many years ago, I added this addendum to an Advance Directive Health Instruction that contained the Do Not Resuscitate statement: I direct, that in addition to the foregoing statements, that (1)

Growing traffic problems such as speeding in Smithsburg and the fact that more students are walking to the town's schools has led town officials to expand the town's school zone. The school zone currently starts along a hill on North Main Street leading up to Smithsburg High, Smithsburg Middle and Smithsburg Elementary schools, said Smithsburg Police Chief George Knight. Smithsburg Town Council members Tuesday night agreed to extend the school zone south on Main Street to East School Lane, Knight said.

Speed cameras that were installed last month on Northern Avenue between Fountaindale Elementary and Northern Middle schools in Hagerstown will go live Monday. The cameras were installed and activated March 13 to give motorists a 30-day warning period, according to a city news release. Beginning at 6 a.m. Monday, vehicles traveling 12 mph or more above the speed limit will be issued a $40 citation. That amount will be reduced to $35 if the fine is paid within 10 days of the ticket being mailed.