Duxbury residents to vote on lowering speed limits after deadly hit-and-run

DUXBURY, Mass. — A Special Town Meeting will be held in Duxbury next month for residents to vote on reducing the speed limits in town following a deadly hit-and-run crash last month.

The Board of Selectmen voted Monday to hold a Special Town Meeting on August 12 at 7 p.m. at the Duxbury Performing Arts Center.

Under the Municipal Modernization Act, which Governor Charlie Baker signed into law in 2016, voters must adopt two local acceptance provisions to move forward with lowering the speed limits in parts of town.

The first provision states, in the interest of public safety, a city of town can, “establish a speed limit of 25 miles per hour on any roadway inside a thickly settled or business district in the city or town on any way that is not a state highway.”

The second provision allows a town to establish so-called “safety zones” with a speed limit of 20-miles-per-hour, “on, at or near any way in the city or town which is not a state highway, and with the approval of the department if the same is a state highway.”

Andrea Gordon, 46, was hit on June 9 while jogging on Washington Street. She died at a hospital two days later from her injuries.

The driver accused of hitting Gordon, Christina Blackmore, is facing charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, negligent operation, failure to stay in marked lanes and speeding. Prosecutors said Blackmore is a registered nurse who never stopped to provide medical assistance.

>>RELATED: Suspect in fatal Duxbury hit-and-run pleads not guilty, ordered not to drive

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