Crossings Drive and Sierra Drive in Crescent Springs have undergone a traffic speed study analysis over the last three years to address residents’ complaints about speeding and drivers running stop signs in the area.
Villa Hills Police Lt. Matt Hall gave the traffic study presentation at the Crescent Springs city council meeting on Monday. The primary goal of a speed study is to determine the volume, speed and occurrence of traffic specified in the location.
“Any police department, especially us, we try to utilize our resources in the most efficient and effective way possible,” Lt. Hall said. “That is spending your tax dollars in the most effective and efficient way seen fit. It is not a positive thing to take taxpayers’ dollars and it not be effective.”
Terms that came up during the speed study that are noteworthy are the 50th percentile or median average speed, the 85th percentile or the rate at or below which 85% of vehicles are traveling, and the 10-miles per hour pace, which is the range of how fast those cars are moving during that collection point. The 10 MPH pace changes as the volume of traffic increases and depends on the time of day.
There is a 5-MPH rule of thumb to determine whether the 85th percentile is too high compared to the posted speed limit. For example, if your posted speed limit is 20 MPH and your 85th percentile is 26-27 MPH, that situation would be evaluated according to Lt. Hall.
Three traffic studies were done in the area over three years.
The first traffic study was conducted on May 12, 2020, and was recorded for two days. Across the two days, 953 vehicles were registered. In reviewing that data, the average speed or 50th percentile was 17.89 MPH while the posted speed limit is 20 mph. The 85th percentile was 23 MPH, the 10-MPH pace speed was 15-24 MPH.
In 2021 2,568 vehicles were recorded in the second traffic study over six days. The average speed was 16.86 MPH, the 85th percentile was 22 MPH, two miles over the posted speed limit. The 10-MPH pace was 14-23 MPH.
Traffic study number three occurred over five days in February of this year. 2,770 vehicles were recorded. The average speed limit was 19.7 MPH, the 85th percentile was 23 MPH, and the 10-MPH pace was 16-25 MPH.
“We don’t have a lot of reported traffic congestion,” Lt. Hall said. “The chief and I know many of our officers are out there on a pretty consistent basis trying to deter criminal activity, speeding, and everything.”
After the three studies were conducted, 6,291 vehicles were recorded, and 98% were going slower than the posted speed limit. The median speed was 18 MPH, and the 85th percentile was 22.86 MPH.
Residents in the area brought up at the meeting that about 80 new homes were being built in the Crossings Drive area with a lot of them closing in early 2020. With an estimate of two to three cars per home, an additional 160-240 cars were added to traffic along with the additional construction equipment and workers.
“I will say the thing that I’ve noticed, everybody likes to point at young drivers and construction back there,” a Crossings Drive Resident said. “The people that I see the most are the busy soccer moms and soccer dads who have their coffee and have to get to where they’re going, and I see it most in that age group.”
Councilmember Christie Arlinghaus asked Lt. Hall if rolling stops at stop signs were an issue.
“Stop signs, that is different than speed studies,” Lt. Hall said. “I can tell you this, do people run stop signs? Yes, they do. I think there is a perception issue on what is an actual stop. Can we stop every single person on that? Myself, the chief, and officers have sat up there. We have not had a systemic stop sign issue.”
Another Crossings Drive resident brought up her concerns with rolling through stop signs in the area.
“Rolling through stop signs is a huge problem, and I’m not perfect. I do it, but we’re going to add 80 houses, that’s how many more stop signs? This is going to become progressively worse. So, we’re trying to get in front of it so that when more cement trucks are coming by, or flatbed trucks are coming by, I’d like to know how long it takes them if they’re slamming on their brakes.
“Anything that I’ve tried to get enforced in our neighborhood has not happened.”
Police Chief Bryan Allen said he frequently watches stop signs in the area.
“Ma’am, I sit at Meadow Wood Drive and Crossings all the time… I’m the only chief in Northern Kentucky that goes out and sits on stop signs,” Chief Allen said. “So, we’re back there watching it. If I’m not there, I can’t enforce it, but I sit back there on Sierra and Crossings too.”
The resident said she wanted the officers to use their time wisely and didn’t expect them to be on watch constantly. “This is a frustration on our current council, previous council, that any concern I’ve brought up gets dismissed,” she said.
Councilmember Carol McGowan disagreed that the council was disregarding the neighborhood’s concerns.
“Excuse me, we were asked to bring the study to council, and we did. It’s not being dismissed,” McGowan said. “We’re not dismissing it. We’re doing what we have been asked to do; you can ask the chief. We showed him the list that people at Crossings were asking for.”
As far as the traffic speed study results, Hall said he couldn’t conclude that there is an issue.
“Would you want your police stopping you? Yes, one mile per hour over the speed limit by KRS Statue is a violation of the law. Do you think it is the most effective use of the law enforcement and the Villa Hills Police to stop and write citations for one, two and three miles per hour over the speed limit?,” Lt. Hall said. “I understand the safety aspect to it. I don’t ever want to see a collision happen or a child run out in front of a car and see a car hit a child. The biggest thing I can implore for our residents is the street is not for pedestrians; it is for vehicular traffic.
“As far as these studies and using scientific-based evidence, I cannot state that there is a systemic speed issue on Crossings Drive,” Lt. Hall said.
