LEVERETT – Resident Nancy Grossman is so thankful her son never got hit by a car on Two Mile Road.

It’s up and down, twisty and dangerous, and she knows how drivers think as they race toward Route 63.

“I can go as fast as I want because I don’t see any children and I don’t see any pets,” Grossman said. “[But] we have children in the neighborhood again … and they cannot protect themselves from behind.”

Parents and other residents opened a data-powered dialogue with the Select Board on June 7 about speeding on Two Mile, Lead Mine and Drummer Hill Roads by presenting the results of a survey of area residents. Marinos Vouvakis, a resident of Lead Mine Road, told the board that among 33 respondents, 51 percent were willing to wait for an expert opinion on what to do about the speeding.

The speeding problem on Two Mile and Lead Mine roads was discussed and seemingly settled by the board in April. Vouvakis said residents in the area organized the meeting after hearing the board had decided to put three or four speed bumps on Two Mile Road. Tom Hankinson, chair of the board, commented that decision was reached in consultation with the local traffic experts at the town’s Highway Department.

That didn’t reassure the homeowners. According to the neighborhood survey, 60 percent did not think the Select Board’s solution was the most appropriate, with 20 percent in favor. Is there a better alternative than speed bumps? Three-quarters, 75 percent, said yes.

The neighbors met to reach a consensus on what to request from the board. Two action items were identified, including that the Select Board petition the state to post a 25 mph speed limit on the road. The roads currently have an unposted speed limit of 40 mph, the default speed limit in the state. The second action item the group requested was to secure an outside expert to figure out the best speed reduction measures.

The group of residents anticipate “some kind of professional who will come and decide the specific speed limit. We would [also] like to ask the board to table the current plan of installing speed humps on Two Mile Road,” Vouvakis said.

Mark Seward, another Lead Mine Road resident, researched speed bumps and found many negatives. Municipalities have been sued to remove speed bumps by residents after they reduced home values. Speed bumps are expensive to install and remove. Speed bumps make emergency vehicles take longer to reach someone in distress, when saving seconds may save a life. Speed bumps also increase wear and tear on tires, shocks and brakes, increase air pollution and reduce fuel efficiency.

The state sets the speed limit on a road, according to Hankinson, not the town, and changing the speed limit is not a simple process. Seward expressed frustration.

“The easiest fix would be if the state reduced the speed limit,” Seward said, “but because we’re not thickly settled we don’t qualify…(and) the default speed limit is forty. That’s clearly too high for roads that are so up and down and so windy. It’s just too high.”

Lead Mine Road resident Dan Williams said interest was high for hearing a professional opinion on ways to manage vehicle speeds. Hankinson told residents that requests to change or reduce a speed limit will trigger a traffic study by an engineer. Residents preferred that idea.

“We don’t pretend to be the experts on this,” Williams said. “People were very positive about that idea … that whatever actions that were taken would be based on some sort of professional recommendation.”

Board member Melissa Colbert countered the impression among homeowners that the board was acting without input. The discussion of traffic issues in that part of Leverett initially began in reference to the dangerous corner where Two Mile and Drummer Hill Roads meet. The board had discussions with the Highway Department and the police chief, and held outreach meetings to connect with residents.

Colbert said, “We’ve had hours of discussions about this already (and) I am concerned about the most vulnerable members of our community.”

Resident Pat Duffy offered the idea of narrowing the road by painting bike lanes into the traffic pattern. Duffy also noted the shoulders of the roads are in bad shape, which contributes to the problem. Her suggestion to install a flashing speed limit sign met with groans of dismay. Seward suggested traffic warning signs be strategically placed in the roadway.

”Children at play [signs], they’re $15 apiece,” Seward said. “Nobody would be offended if those were in the middle of the road.”

Hankinson acknowledged that a combination of near term and long range solutions would be appropriate. The intent of the board, Hankinson said, is to plan the steps that will improve safety, without breaking the bank.

“One thing we could do, as a compromise,” Hankinson said, “is to go with the speed bumps in the short term while we attempt to submit a petition to reduce the speed limit on Two Mile … and to put bike lanes on one or both sides, that is likely to slow down traffic.”

Colbert, at the meeting, began the effort to find a traffic consultant. The vice chair also suggested temporary speed bumps, rather than permanent, as had been decided on, would be more appropriate. Hankinson said he would call Matthew Boucher, the town’s highway superintendent, about the new strategy the board had decided on.

“I’ll explain to him that there’s concern about installing the speed humps,” Hankinson said, and “at the same time [we’ll] take whatever steps are necessary to petition the state to reduce the speed limit on Two Mile Road.”

Resident Anna Sloan brought home the importance of the discussion. “Car accidents are the leading cause of death in children now.”