Westfield Police Department’s Traffic Bureau assessing city speed limits following complaints

WESTFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Westfield Police Department’s traffic bureau is reviewing and assessing the speed limits within their city limits following a series of complaints from motorists.

Earlier this year the city of Westfield opted into a 2016 state law that allows cities and towns to reduce the default speed limit in business districts and thickly settled areas from 30 mph to 25 mph.

Westfield Police say this change has only caused confusion for drivers and that the speed limits should have not changed for certain roadways.

The change was meant to curb speeding, but instead it’s caused speed limit signs to not be labeled properly and in accordance to it’s proximity to homes and thickly settled areas. Some roads impacted include Paper Mill Road, Prospect Street, and Western Avenue.

Because police have questions about the appropriateness of speed limits on multiple streets and roads throughout the city, the department will be conducting traffic studies to rectify the situation.

“We are just going around and evaluating every area just to confirm that they are labeled correctly,” said Sgt. Juanita Mejias. “We know that they were some mistakes made and we are aware of them, and we are trying to fix everything and make sure that everything is above board, and in the best interest of everyone.”

A traffic study is now being conducted by the police department that will be presented to MassDOT to determine if a change is needed. According to the traffic division the effort is expected to take about 6 months.

Melissa Torres is a reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since 2021. Follow Melissa on X @melissatorrestv and view her bio to see more of her work.

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