Brakes on boat speed limits: December 2, 2010

Just as boaters on Lake Winnipesaukee are getting acquainted with permanent speed limits, a group of lawmakers and activists is seeking to do away with the restrictions.

In June, Gov. John Lynch signed into law a daytime speed limit of 45 mph on the lake and a 30-mph restriction at night. On Aug. 27, the law took effect, making permanent speed limits that were supposed to expire at the end of this year after a two-year trial period.

Now, with a new, heavily Republican Legislature convening next month, some are backing a bill to nix numerical speed limits in favor of a requirement that boaters travel at 'a safe speed that is reasonable and prudent under the existing conditions.'

Scott Verdonck, a Goffstown resident who founded Safe Boaters of New Hampshire, the anti-speed-limit group organizing support for the new bill, said the proposed language comes from U.S. Coast Guard guidelines that govern federal waters."

Read more at Concord Monitor.