Speed Limits Lowered To 25 MPH On Chester Borough Streets

CHESTER, NJ — Beginning Jan. 10, speed limits on all municipally-owned Chester Borough roads are officially going to be 25 mph.

Though the change is "effective immediately" during the week of Jan. 10, the speed limit signs are in the process of being changed on the borough streets where limits were lowered, the Borough posted on its website and social media.

During the first two weeks of the change in speed limit on roads not previously 25 mph, “violators may be shown some leniency,” the Borough wrote.

The speed limit change impacts:

• Fairmount Avenue
• Hillside Road
• Maple Avenue
• Oakdale Road
• Old Gladstone Road
• Pleasant Hill Road
• Seminary Avenue

Some of these roads in Chester Borough stretch into Chester Township, where the speed limits could differ once crossing the Township line.

The reduced speed limit on these Chester Borough roads is a result of an ordinance passed on Oct. 5 by the Borough Council, after residents complained that on streets where speeds posted were more than 25 mph, there was “excessive speeding.”

Residents were concerned, according to the ordinance, there could be accidents, injuries to people out walking and damage to parked cars and property.

After the Chief of Police and Borough Engineer looked into the complaints, they determined that a 25 mph limit for all borough-owned streets would be beneficial because of “the residential nature of the properties," with the Mayor and Borough Council making the change “to protect the health and safety of its residents.”

Route 206 speed limits in Chester Borough may fluctuate, with full details on New Jersey Department of Transportation’s website here.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.