WHEATFIELD, N.Y. — A Niagara County legislator is asking New York Governor Kathy Hochul to intervene to lower the speed limit on Shawnee Road in the Town of Wheatfield.
Legislator Jesse Gooch sent a letter to Hochul Thursday with the request. He says residents have been asking for the speed on Shawnee to be reduced for years, but that the NYS Department of Transportation has refused the request.
In his letter, Gooch says it is nearly impossible to turn onto Shawnee from adjoining neighborhoods during peak traffic times, school buses make regulars stops along Shawnee, little to no shoulder to the road and multiple speed zone changes from Lockport Road to Niagara Falls Boulevard.
“I give this background information to make the case for lowering the speed limit on Shawnee Road, something local residents have been seeking for years. There have been an incredible 183 traffic accidents on this stretch of road between 2017 and 2019,” he said.
Gooch is requesting that a uniform speed limit be set at 40 MPH. He cites the state's action on Scajaquada Expressway and Niagara Falls Boulevard as examples to reduce accidents
“I recognize there are always requests for lower speed limits and that traffic engineers will say that lowering a speed limit in some instances can actually create dangerous situations. With that being said, the situation on Shawnee Road does not fall into that category. A once lightly traveled north/south road in a rural community has become a major connector in a built-out and still growing suburban area. The community has significantly changed along Shawnee and the speed limit needs to change with it,” he said.
You can read the letter here:
