City officials are considering lower speed limits in problem areas throughout the city in an effort to increase pedestrian safety through the Safe Streets for All program.

Many downtowns have 20 or 25 mile an hour speed limits rather than the 30 miles an hour Jamestown has used for decades. Some areas under consideration for lower speed limits include Falconer Street, the location of the city’s most recent fatal pedestrian accident, Sturges Street, South Avenue, Whitehill Avenue, Brooklyn Square and a few others. It’s also worth noting the top five accident intersections in 2025, according to the Jamestown Police Department’s 2025 public safety report, as areas that deserve a second look: North Main and West Sixth streets, North Main and West Fifth streets, Washington and Third streets, East Second and Winsor streets and Washington and West Fifth streets. We’d also note some streets, because of poor sight lines, should be candidates to have no turn on red signs posted – like the corner of Second and Main streets or Third and Washington streets.

We can’t disagree that speed is an issue with some drivers. And it should be obvious to those who live or drive in Jamestown that many city streets are not designed to move vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists at the same time. We can’t simply redesign every problem street. And as some will remember, past city requests to install stop signs at some areas where city residents believe there are safety issues have been declined by the state Department of Transportation because they don’t meet state statistical thresholds for stop signs or traffic lights.

Lower speed limits in some areas makes sense, but only if there is also tougher enforcement of the new speed limits after they go into effect. There will need to be a reeducation of the driving and pedestrian public if we are to solve the pedestrian safety issues that have been popping up in Jamestown over the past few years. That all needs to be part of the upcoming public discussion.

None of these changes are taking place immediately. There is plenty of time for public engagement, either by attending City Council Public Safety Committee meetings, reaching out to Daniel Gonzalez, council Public Works Committee chairman, or attending one of the upcoming Safe Streets for All public meetings once they are announced. We urge those with concerns to take part in the public discussion now before decisions are made – and to do so knowing the status quo isn’t going to be preserved.

We’ve heard these types of conversations before, but they didn’t have much conviction behind them. The fact that traffic safety has been such a prevalent topic of discussion in city meetings over the past couple of months tells us that this time, talk isn’t cheap.