A new speed limit will soon be coming to Malden streets, as the city has chosen to opt-in to the Drive-25 law. The Drive-25 law is a state law that was passed in 2016, which allows all cities in “thickly settled” areas to reduce the citywide speed limit to 25 miles per hour. Malden is the latest in a string of towns to adopt the resolution, with 49 towns before Malden adopting the new speed limit.
The city said, in a statement, that it had taken this move to “make the city safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers and to help reduce traffic accidents…Data shows that driving at or below 25 mph improves drivers’ ability to avoid crashes and reduces incidents of fatalities.”
The move to lower the speed limit was supported by Councillors Peg Crowe and Barbara Murphy, representing Ward 1 and Ward 5 respectively. When the matter was brought up to the city council, there was a unanimous “yes” vote in favor of the change. The vote occurred on the 24th of November, 2020.
The move was effective immediately, lowering the citywide speed limit to 25 mph, unless signs were already put up. The city has yet to see if the measure works or not, and evidence may not be forthcoming in these times. As for now, the Drive 25 lawn signs will continue to alert people to the change, and officers will enforce the new limits.
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