The State Department of Transportation is planning to reduce the speed of a section of Montauk Highway near Water Mill from 45 to 40 mph.
The reduction will specifically impact Montauk Highway between Flying Point Road and Head of Pond Road, the same section of the highway where the Parrish Art Museum and the White Fences Inn is located.
State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. on Friday said that the reduction is the result of Eric Brodar, co-owner of the White Fences Inn, writing a letter to Mr. Thiele and the DOT late last year stressing concerns about speeding drivers on that section of the highway.
Last year from June to the end of August I saw at least six accidents on that road leading into Water Mill," Mr. Brodar said on Tuesday. "I believe it was caused by excessive speeding on the road. It's like a raceway in that area."
Mr. Brodar said that he first tried calling Southampton Town Police in September last year and was upset at the department not being "forthcoming" about the speeding drivers on the road. He then called Mr. Thiele, who told him that he would call the DOT to perform an investigation of the area. The DOT’s investigation of the resident’s concerns consisted of an accident analysis, a speed study, a review of the roadway’s existing geometry and field observations of the area.
“The analysis did not see any pattern of speed-related accidents on that road,” Mr. Thiele said. “It does go from 45 to 30 mph in Water Mill in a pretty short amount of time.”
The speed reduction is the result of the investigation’s speed study, which was conducted on a weekday at two locations between Flying Point Road and Old Mill Road during the off-season to capture, as the DOT described, “free-flowing traffic.” Mr. Brodar said that the study should've been done during the busy summer season for better results.
"The study during the off-season was not right because people on the roads at that time are people who live here and are respectful of the speed limits," Mr. Brodar said. "Most speeders are visitors who think they're entitled to do whatever they want."
Mr. Brodar went on to suggest that the speed limit should've been further reduced to 35 mph considering the section of Montauk Highway going east into Water Mill only contains two lanes and the 40-mph speed limit could still lead to traffic and accidents. He did thank Mr. Thiele for being "very responsive" and for "looking into the problem."
The speed limit in downtown Water Mill will remain at 30 mph, further emphasized by the “Reduced Speed Limit Ahead” signs that the DOT installed on the eastbound and westbound side of the road.
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Jon Winkler on Sep 7, 2018