MONMOUTH — Robert Brackett sat down on his front porch to read a newspaper this week and a drag race broke out.
Well, maybe not a drag race. But when it comes to cars racing up and down Tillson Road, which has no posted speed limit, Brackett said the speeding is getting out of hand and somebody is going to get hurt.
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“It’s been going on like that for 10 years,” Brackett said. “We have a nasty accident waiting to happen.”
Brackett’s comments were part of a public hearing selectmen held during last week’s regular meeting on Wednesday. The hearing was held at the behest of the Maine Department of Transportation, which wanted public feedback before deciding to post a speed limit on the road.
Speeds have always been a problem on the road that runs between Cobbosseeconte Road and Route 135, but Town Manager Curtis Lunt said people are driving even faster now that it has been paved.
The board ultimately agreed to petition the DOT to set a speed limit, with a suggestion the road be given a limit and posted at 40 miles per hour.
Capt. Daniel Davies of the Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office, who attended the meeting, said he recently stopped a driver for traveling 72 mph on the road. People usually understand that the speed limit on back roads is 45 mph, but Davies said a posted speed limit was necessary to plant a reasonable speed in drivers’ minds.
“People also understand that they’re supposed to wear a seat belt, but they don’t necessarily do it,” Davies said.
Monmouth Police Chief Kevin Mulherin recently used a speed-recording device to gauge average speeds on the road. Davies said the survey didn’t indicate everybody speeds on the road, but it did show that there are a number of people who drive extremely fast.
Residents said there is more traffic on nearby Sanborn Road, where there is 40 mph posted limit, but people driver faster on Tillson Road.
“That’s one of the first things I hear from anybody on any road,” said Public Works Director Herbert Whittier. “People are going too fast.”
Craig Crosby—621-5642
ccrosby@centralmaine.com
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