Sharon Doyle: Stop the bill to overturn speed limits on Winnipesaukee

To The Daily Sun,

HB 1424 will overturn the 45/30 speed limits on Lake Winnipesauke which have been in place for over a decade. There are three reasons this should not happen.

First: The narrow passages of the lake are increasingly crowded. It is not unusual to see four lanes of traffic between Bear Island and the mainland on a Saturday. For those who canoe, sail, kayak or use an outboard to fish or go to the mainland to do their shopping, it has become dangerous. The high-speed boaters who come out from Meredith Bay or the Weirs to make multiple loops around Bear do not slow down for cross traffic.

Second: Due to the recent rise in boat renters rather than owners, these boats are often driven by people with no real boat experience. There will be tragic consequences one day. Personally, I have seen a fast boat upend a kayak and speed on without noticing what their wake has done. I tried to help a boater whose $100,000 rental was being driven into the shallows by a sharp wind, but he never got off his phone, where he was threatening to sue the marina who had rented him his boat, if they didn’t come to his rescue.

Third: There is the noise. The return of the cigarette boats last summer was noticed. At the top of Bear Island is St. John’s chapel, where people come to worship. It’s surrounded by a necklace of hiking paths. Families go mushrooming, walk the dogs, or birdwatch. On any summer afternoon, however, the noise from speedboats is all you can hear up there. Not the birds, not the wind in the trees — it’s like being in the middle of a freeway. Lake Winnipesaukee is a significant source of revenue for the state; however, few people seek it out for the noise.

Everyone is entitled to use the lake, but everyone needs to learn to share the space. Speed limits have helped enormously. HB 1424 is going before the Transportation Committee in the next two weeks. Let them know where you stand.

Sharon Doyle

Meredith