WORCESTER – Drivers in Worcester will start seeing new speed limit signs, with the new statutory speed limit of 25 mph, on Oct. 21. The city will install 82 new speed limit signs across the city, which it says will take about three weeks.
The statutory speed limit applies as the base speed limit on city streets. On any road where there are no speed limit signs, the default limit is 25 mph. The statutory limit does not apply on streets where signs display a higher speed limit.
The City of Worcester Department of Transportation and Mobility (DTM) will also deploy variable message signs across the city to spread awareness of the new speed limit. DTM will also launch a public education campaign and make yard signs available to residents who wish to display one on their property.
During the week of Oct. 13, the city will als install crosswalk markings and signage at the intersection of South Ludlow Street and Clover Street, add advanced yield lines, crosswalk daylighting to improve visibility of pedestrians, and the installation of supplemental crosswalk signs on Shrewsbury Street.
The rollout of the 25 mph statutory speed limit is part of the city’s Vision Zero initiatives.
Worcester is part of the Vision Zero Network, a collaborative campaign that works with communities to eliminate traffic related fatalities and serious injuries. The Federal Highway Administration, a division of the U. S. Department of Transportation, coordinates with the network.
The city is also developing a Vision Zero Safety Action Plan, which the initiative calls for. The city said in August that it plans for the safety action plan to be released in the late fall.
