ORANGE — The Selectboard voted unanimously Wednesday night to post 15-mph speed limit signs on Perry Road in response to a petition from residents living on the rural dirt road.

Resident David Welenc spoke via the online video conferencing platform Zoom to address Selectboard members and advocate for the petition. He explained he has lived on Perry Road for nine or 10 years, and said vehicles often zip down the road at dangerous speeds.

“It’s a real traffic hazard sometimes, especially at night. There are no lights on the road and people go pretty quick down through there,” he said, adding that particularly fast vehicles also kick up large amounts of dust that enter people’s homes. He offered to help pay for the signs.

Selectboard Chair Ryan Mailloux told Welenc that was very kind and said he supports posting 15-mph signs.

“I can say that I’ve driven the road a couple of times now and it is a very small road,” he said. “It’s definitely not meant to be driven at a fast pace or with … cars passing each other, in my opinion.”

Orange Police Chief James Sullivan mentioned Perry Road is an unposted rural road, meaning it is a 40 mph zone under Massachusetts General Law.

“It’s a short dirt road in town and it’s barely wide enough for two vehicles. For the entire length of the road, most of it is really only wide enough for one,” he explained. “So, we received complaints. Me and (Highway Superintendent) Colin (Killay) talked about it and we decided, ‘Let’s throw some 30 mph signs up there, see if that’ll slow people down.’ The reality of it is, 30 mph is way too fast down that road. I drove it today — I averaged about 14 mph, is what I felt safe driving my cruiser.”

Sullivan said it is reckless to drive more than 15 or 20 mph on Perry Road.

Orange Selectboard Vice Chair Jane Peirce said she supports lowering the speed limit, but wondered how it would be enforced. She said she lives on a dead-end dirt road and regularly flags down drivers to scold them when they drive too fast.

“It requires more than putting up a sign that says ‘Drive Slowly,’” she said, “because anybody can blow past a thing like that.”

Sullivan responded by saying a lack of posted speed limit signs requires police officers to use only judgment when issuing tickets for vehicles driving faster than “what is reasonable and proper for the roadway.” Signs, he said, will make it easier to argue before a judge in court if a ticket or citation is contested.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.