The Town of Northborough’s Traffic Safety Committee reported a strong public response to a townwide survey on lowering default neighborhood speed limits to 25 miles per hour. Staff told the committee that about 600 to 650 residents had completed the survey at the time of the meeting.

Josh Van Hooten and Scott Charpentier said the committee will wait until the survey closes to review results and any geographic patterns. The K–8 school district agreed to distribute the survey to families, and Charpentier said the superintendent’s office included the survey link in its weekly email the same day.

Committee members noted that respondents have requested other mitigations beyond a universal 25 mph limit, including speed bumps and targeted engineering changes. The committee said it will consider those suggestions alongside the survey results rather than make immediate changes.

Charpentier reminded the committee that additional traffic-count requests require budget approval: the Department of Public Works operating budget funds one traffic count per year through the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC); additional counts would require separate funding or select-board approval.

The committee did not take a formal vote on speed-limit policy at this meeting and will revisit the matter after the survey closes.