CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND, VA -- The Chincoteague Mayor and Town Council are planning to consider an ordinance that would lower the speed limit on Main Street, between the intersections of Smith and Jester Streets, from 25 mph to just 15 mph.
The town's Ordinance Committee is recommending the change to the council. Chincoteague Mayor John Leonard says this isn't the first time the proposal was brought up. Previously, the town installed traffic cameras to monitor speeding through Downtown, after implementing several pedestrian safety measures.
"The average speed was only like 18 miles per hour," says Leonard. "So, it's already been lowered by the crosswalks, by the traffic calming measures that the engineers figured out how to do."
Main Street business owner Missy Broyles is against the change. She says she takes a detour off Main Street when driving to and from work to avoid already slow moving traffic, especially during the summer.
"It's a seasonal town, so you really only have those extra people for a few months of the year," says Broyles. "The rest of the year, I would have to drive 15 miles down the road just to get from point A to point B, my normal everyday life, and it would take that much longer."
Yet, visitors, like Greg Leasure, say the speed limit drop might be worth a try.
"I actually notice a good bit of speeding," says Leasure. "Whenever I come here, it's a trip with the family, so we like to do as much relaxation as we can, so I feel like slowing it down might be a decent option."
The Chincoteague Town Council is scheduled to consider the speed limit change at their next meeting on Monday, October 7th.
