EASTHAMPTON — A proposal to slow how fast people drive in Easthampton by setting a citywide speed limit of 25 mph has stalled after conflicting concerns over road safety.

The proposal calls for altering city traffic rules and orders to include definitions for “business districts” and “thickly settled” areas, in which a 25 mph speed limit would be observed.

City Councilor Brad Riley explained that there are very few areas in the city where the thickly settled distinction — where homes are less than 200 feet apart on average for a quarter mile or more — does not apply, largely making this a citywide speed limit unless otherwise posted.

The speed limit proposal arose from citizen concerns about the dangers of speeding and what strategies can be used to slow drivers down. If approved, the new speed limit would involve the strategic placement of messaging at city entry points alerting drivers of the reduced speed limit.

Riley also let the public know that under this proposal, costs could be minimized by simply removing signs instead of replacing them, as the blanket speed limit would apply in most areas unless otherwise posted.

However, Councilor Thomas Peake said while he appreciated the proposal, he was “not super optimistic that this is going to slow a lot of people down.” He noted that people aren’t typically paying much attention to their speedometers, but rather they’re “driving as fast as they feel safe driving.”

This was a sentiment echoed by other councilors and members of the public at last Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

Councilors Peake and Felicia Jadczak suggested the need for other additional traffic-calming measures to be implemented.

Councilor Tamara Smith acknowledged the concerns of citizens and the pedestrian deaths that have occurred in Easthampton in recent years, but also said she worries a widespread 25 mph speed limit would increase the risks of road rage.

Smith said she lives in Precinct 5, where wide, flat stretches of road often lead to fast driving. With a new driver in her household who she says does not like to drive over the speed limit, she has frequently encountered incidents of road rage where people “lay on their horn” and follow them for miles.

Easthampton resident Leslie Sharr said she has had similar experiences, and has even had trouble getting cars to stop or slow down so she can cross the street.

“We need more safety controls as well as lower speed limits,” she said.

Another resident, Liz Perry, noted that she would be willing to drive slower to increase safety, but would rather not see increased police patrolling to enforce a new speed limit.

Lindsi Sekula suggested that it might be best to wait until the city has hired a new police chief so more collaboration can take place with the department in charge of enforcing this change, and noted that it might be worth undergoing a formal request for proposals process to hire a consulting company for a citywide assessment.

Other residents were less convinced about the proposal.

Cathy Wauczinski blamed high levels of speeding on increased traffic from “high-density building” rather than speed limits, and Steve Nietupski said a 25 mph speed limit is “unreasonable” and an “uncomfortable” speed at which to drive.

Similarly, Darlene Orvieto said people will likely ignore the new speed limit, and that it is “definitely overkill.”

Michael Owens told the council to think “out of the box” by implementing something like a 27 mph speed limit to get people’s attention while they’re driving and make them focus on their own speed.

Riley countered that the 25 mph number was not decided on “arbitrarily.”

“What we’re actually talking about here is the difference between people dying and not dying,” he said, explaining that the difference between 25 mph and 30 mph can be the difference between someone simply needing medical attention and dying on impact in a pedestrian-involved collision.

Riley also acknowledged that ultimately, the city will likely have to do more than just change the speed limits to improve safety of the roads and walkways, but said that in the moment, this change is what it has at its disposal.

“The status quo means that people die on our streets,” he said.

He added that when he hears people say that they don’t want to try the new speed limit because they don’t want to be inconvenienced by driving slower or being honked at, or because they don’t think others will obey, he sees it as a “dishonor” to those who have died.

Smith said she heard his concerns, but believes that the current proposal puts other people at risk of being harmed by road rage incidents in areas where a 25 mph speed limit will be more frustrating than helpful.

“I don’t think that this is at the point yet that it meets everybody’s needs,” she said.

The council opted to send the proposal back to its Public Safety Committee for more consideration.