For a good portion of Farm To Market Road in Halfmoon, the posted speed limit is 45 miles per hour, but at some point that limit is lifted, allowing motorists to travel 55 miles per hour. Many of the residents who live nearby want to know why.

When the Hoyt Dairy Farm began producing milk for the first time roughly 70 years ago, Farm To Market Road was no more than a country road less traveled. Now suburban developments and modern transportation share what was once solely agricultural land. That reality has consequences.

“My uncle’s driveway, he’s on a blind hill on a curve,” said Danny Hoyt, a longtime Farm To Market Road resident. “My aunt and uncle have pulled out of their driveway several times, and they’ve been almost T-boned and rear-ended.”

The Hoyt family still owns and operates 124 acres of farm land. With tractors and other farm equipment sharing Farm To Market Road, Hoyt believes a speed limit of 55 miles per hour is too dangerous.

Apparently many of his neighbors agree. Forty of them have signed a petition calling for the speed limit to be lowered to 45 miles per hour.

“We’ve had people roll over in the fields and knock down the telephone poles,” he said. “Then we’re out of power, so it’s not very good.”

Hoyt fears his children’s safety remains at risk just as long as motorists whiz past his house.

NewsChannel 13 clocked some of the drivers traveling at 60 miles per hour in the 55 speed zone on Tuesday. There are many times when vehicles are traveling much faster, Hoyt said.

“You already lowered a good portion of the road to 45,” Hoyt pointed out. “We’re not asking for an act of Congress here. We’re just asking for a simple speed reduction. The town is for it. The county is for it, but we keep getting pushback from the state.”

After the town sent a letter to the State Department of Transportation requesting a traffic study, the DOT sent a letter back to the town informing them there have been no significant changes since the last traffic study was done to warrant another study, and therefore the existing 55 miles per hour speed limit was appropriate.

“We have the knowledge, we see it, we’re here,” Hoyt said. “They don’t want to listen to that.”

Even though Hoyt disagrees with the DOT decision, he’s not giving up the fight. At this point, his crusade is full speed ahead.