SCHENECTADY – Schenectady in the past has long been referred to as the city that lights and hauls the world. In the future, it’ll be doing both at a slower pace.

A handful of residents turned out at Monday night’s city council meeting urging city leaders to lower the speed limit from 30 to 25.

“What I have observed is that drivers have little regard for following traffic signals, pedestrians in the crosswalk, and anything that interferes with their ability to get to where ever they are going,” said Maryjo Czarkowski, a Stockade resident.

Most of the speakers at the public hearing were neighborhood association representatives.

“In the Stockade we continue to see an increase in visitors year round,” said Suzanne Unger. “A lower speed limit will make this area an attraction, safer, and more desirable.”

“Lowering the Schenectady speed limit to 25 miles per hour is a relatively inexpensive means to quickly reduce the severity of injuries resulting from motorist, pedestrian, and bicyclist accidents,” said Richard Unger, also a Stockade resident.

Council Woman Carmel Patrick, who introduced the local legislation, ” said after seeing fatality and injury rates lowered in other city that have implemented lower speed limits, the decision for Schenectady to follow suit was easy and obvious.

“We know that in other cities that have reduced the speed limit it’s been shown that even reducing the speed limit from 30 to 25 has definitely had an impact on pedestrian safety,” Patrick stated.

Along with the reduced speed limit, Patrick says there’ll also have to be an enforcement mechanism.

“I would not have gone down this path if I hadn’t spoken first with our police department,” she said. “And they were totally in support.”

The reduced speed limit goes into effect March 1st.