Every child deserves to be safe walking, biking, rolling, or crossing the street in their own neighborhood.  This petition asks the Town of Irondequoit to adopt a 25 MPH speed limit on town-controlled roads (excluding county roads and NYS highways) in order to create safer, calmer neighborhood streets for children, families, older adults, pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike. Lower vehicle speeds save lives, reduce crash severity, improve quality of life, and make it easier for residents of all ages and abilities to safely access our schools, parks, local businesses, and public spaces such as the library.

Research consistently shows that lower vehicle speeds dramatically reduce the risk of serious injury or death in a crash. A pedestrian struck at 25 MPH has a significantly greater chance of survival than one struck at 30 MPH or higher. Slower speeds also improve driver reaction time, shorten stopping distances, and reduce aggressive driving.

The Town of Irondequoit has already recognized the need for safer, slower neighborhood speeds. In 2018, the Town lowered the default speed limit on town-controlled roads from 35 MPH to 30 MPH, while reducing speeds below 30 MPH in school zones and on selected corridors. There are a limited number of streets in town with 25 MPH posted speed limits, but they remain the exception rather than the rule. Those reforms were an important step forward and demonstrated that the Town can successfully implement safer streets policies.

But eight years after the 2018 reforms, residents continue to experience dangerous speeding on neighborhood streets. As vehicle sizes have increased and distracted driving has become more common, the need for slower, calmer streets has only grown more urgent. In 2022, New York State gave towns the authority to establish lower default speed limits through a local adoption process. Irondequoit now has an opportunity to build on its earlier reforms and continue improving neighborhood street safety.

To be clear, this proposal applies only to town-controlled neighborhood roads and would not change speed limits on most major county or state roads that residents rely on for longer distance travel through Irondequoit, including Titus, St. Paul, E. Ridge, Seneca Ave, Cooper, N. Goodman, Kings, Lakeshore, Pattonwood, Norton, Hudson, Portland, and Culver. (While Walk Bike Irondequoit supports evaluating lower speeds on some county roads where safety concerns exist, those roads are outside the scope of this proposal.) Because trips on local neighborhood streets are typically short, reducing speeds from 30 MPH to 25 MPH would generally add little or no meaningful travel time, while providing significant safety benefits.

This effort is about prevention, not punishment.

Implementing a town-wide speed reduction requires a prescribed process under state law, which includes:

• Adoption of the change under town code
• Completion of a traffic/speed study process
• Installation of updated signage

We recognize that replacing speed limit signage across the entire town takes time and significant resources. That is why we encourage the Town to pursue a practical, phased implementation strategy that prioritizes:

• Streets near schools and areas with significant pedestrian and bicycle activity
• Streets around parks and public facilities
• Neighborhood streets with persistent speeding complaints

We also encourage the Town to explore cost-saving measures where possible, including evaluating whether existing signs can be buffed and resheeted rather than fully replaced, helping to reduce material costs and waste.

In addition, we believe school zone safety measures should better reflect how children actually use school grounds today. Students regularly access playgrounds, sports fields, extracurricular activities, and community events well beyond standard school hours. For that reason, we encourage the Town to work with the WICSD and the EICSD, and with appropriate agencies to pursue 20 MPH school-zone speed limits that remain in effect at all times wherever legally and practically feasible.

Irondequoit has already demonstrated leadership through its Active Transportation Plan (2017), its Complete Streets policy resolution (2023),  ongoing bicycle boulevard implementation efforts, participation in the Monroe County School Bus Safety Program, Safe Routes to School initiatives, by installing additional road crossing signage, as well as through forthcoming investments in more walkable business districts. Adopting slower neighborhood speeds is the next logical step towards making Irondequoit streets safer for all.

This petition is not about making travel difficult. It is about recognizing that neighborhood streets are shared public spaces used by children, families, older adults, cyclists, and other residents every day. Slower speeds save lives.

By signing this petition, we ask the Irondequoit Town Board to:

• Begin the process of adopting a 25 MPH speed limit on all town-controlled roads
• Develop a phased implementation plan prioritizing schools, parks, public facilities, and high-complaint corridors
• Explore fiscally responsible implementation strategies where possible
• Pursue expanded 20 MPH school-zone protections
• Publicly affirm that child safety and neighborhood livability are priorities for our community

Irondequoit residents want safer streets for everyone. Adopting a 25 MPH speed limit on town-controlled roads would be a practical next step toward achieving that goal. Please sign and share this petition to help make Irondequoit’s streets safer, calmer, and more welcoming for all.

Learn more about the work of Walk Bike Irondequoit, a community advocacy initiative focused on improving walking, biking, accessibility, traffic safety, and neighborhood connectivity in Irondequoit:

• Website: Walk Bike Irondequoit
• Facebook: WBI Facebook Page ​| WBI Facebook Group
• Instagram: WBI Instagram