The speed limit in the Winamac Town Park appears to be staying where it is, even though it may not technically be enforceable.
The issue was first brought to the Winamac Park Board in July, after a police officer attempted to write a speeding ticket. The posted limit is 10 miles per hour, but Indiana Code prohibits speed limits under 15 miles per hour, unless an independent study is done.
Not wanting to raise the limit, park board member Chris Schramm decided to look into the possibility of having the Indiana Department of Transportation complete the study. “They would probably do it.” he told the rest of the park board Thursday. “If they would do it, they wouldn’t charge, but you’re probably going to have to have a private study done.”
Schramm said there’s also a possibility that INDOT would recommend a limit higher than 15 miles per hour. “They could very well raise it to 30 mile-an-hour because that’s the standard for them,” he said, “and I don’t think we want to have that.”
But just because the speed limit may not be enforceable doesn’t mean police won’t be able to write tickets. Schramm said he’s been working with officers to use other statutes to deal with dangerous drivers. “I know that 10 is hard to attain,” he said. “And I’ve been around there, as you guys have, hundreds of times and you idle at 11 mile-an-hour. I mean, I’m not saying 10 is good, 15’s good. I know 30 isn’t good. I think we can address it other ways, rather than spend thousands of dollars of the taxpayers money to address that, when a little bit of education with the enforcement could be a lot simpler.”
No action was taken by the park board Thursday.
