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Southampton Town Officials Want To Include Boat Channels In 5-MPH Speed Restriction Law

authorAlyssa Melillo on Jun 21, 2016

Southampton Town officials want to clarify a law that imposes a speed limit on boats operating near shorelines and have scheduled a public hearing on the proposed code amendment.

Town officials want to prohibit any vessel from operating faster than 5 mph in boat channels that are within 500 feet of the shore, or at any speed greater than the limit set by the Southampton Town Trustees. The channels that run east of the Ponquogue Bridge in Hampton Bays, and the Quantuck Bay navigational channel between Quogue Village and Quiogue, are excluded, however.

The idea is “to promote the safety and welfare of ... residents, particularly those bathing or kayaking near the shore.” A public hearing on the amendment has been scheduled for Tuesday, July 12, at 1 p.m. at Southampton Town Hall.

The legislation states that the Trustees once had speed limits posted on buoys in navigational channels, but they had to remove them, as navigational laws prohibit the installation of signs on buoy markers. Because of that, there are currently no speed limit signs posted within the channels that connect to the bays.

“The Trustees want to have a safe marine environment,” said Town Trustee Scott Horowitz.

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