By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
Residents on Island Road in Cicero are concerned about inconsistencies in the speed limits on their road.
At the Cicero Town Board’s July 26 meeting, residents expressed their complaints about the issue.
“We have two locations out there where we have a 35 and a 45 in the same general location. It’s 45 going out; it’s 35 coming in,” resident Tom Beaulieu said.
Beaulieu said it would make more sense to post a uniform speed limit of 35 mph, especially as more developments occur on Island Road.
He added that there is a 55 mph sign about 2,000 or 2,500 feet away from that section of the road, and someone is marking out a driveway cut there.
“I don’t think you want a driveway cut when people are going to be trying to exit there with a speed limit of 55,” Beaulieu said. “It would be extremely dangerous.”
Beaulieu said the road’s two sharp curves have warning speed signs of 35 mph, but some drivers whip through at 55. He said previous speed reductions on Mud Mill and South Bay roads eased speeding problems.
“It’s become a lot more tame,” he said.
Beaulieu said the only road in Cicero that really needs to be 55 mph is Route 31.
Resident Maria Iannolo said both personal and commercial vehicles traverse Island Road, and the shoulder is very narrow. She added that drivers rarely slow down when approaching the intersection with Joss Farm Way, where a 35 mph zone and a 45 mph zone converge.
“There are also a lot of bicyclists that ride that road that are in peril from having the speed limit higher,” she said.
Iannolo presented the town board with a petition requesting that the speed limits be made uniform on Island Road. She said she obtained about a dozen signatures.
Supervisor Mark Venesky said he asked Cicero Police Chief Joe Snell to look into the speed limits on Island Road, and Snell agreed that the road needed consistency. Venesky said the town opposed the Island Hollow development because of the lack of sidewalks, lighting and other safety concerns, but Onondaga County gave the developers the go-ahead.
“We can do our part to ensure the safety even if the county fell down on that in my opinion,” he said. “I have no objection to changing the speed limits.”
Venesky said the issue will be on the next meeting’s agenda.
Also on the agenda
The town board addressed the following additional issues at its July 26 meeting:
- • Town Clerk Tracy Cosilmon said hunting licenses are on sale effective Aug. 1. Call (315) 699-8109 for more information.
- • Supervisor Mark Venesky said the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Central New York will break ground on or around Aug. 9.
- • The Cicero Town Board will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23, on proposed changes to the town code. The town wants to add regulations regarding the storage of junked, abandoned and/or inoperative vehicles on residential parcels.
