Fort Wright residents can look forward to a “heavy” police presence on Amsterdam Road, specifically around its intersections at Morris and Redwood.
A Jan. 22 press release cites the “rising number of traffic violations routinely occurring in this area,” as the reason behind the increased patrols.
“Unfortunately, we continue to receive legitimate complaints from residents across the City about dangerous driving behavior, including speeding and ignoring stop signs,” the press release said. The last time Fort Wright announced an increase in traffic enforcement was in February 2024.
Amsterdam Road was a problem then as well. In January 2024, 70% of vehicles driving on Amsterdam exceeded the 25 mph speed limit, per a report from the city. The city ran another week-long speed study on Amsterdam in August 2024, showing that 24% of drivers were speeding.
Fort Wright isn’t just looking at the numbers, though. Mayor Dave Hatter’s family has lived in the Amsterdam Road area his entire life. He said he has witnessed the reckless driving firsthand. He also acknowledges that it is not an isolated problem.
“We have speeding and traffic problems throughout the city,” Hatter said. “It’s not just Amsterdam Road. But I walk a lot in this area and watch people run the stop signs, especially at Morris and Amsterdam, without even tapping the breaks.”
LINK asked Fort Wright Police Chief Jonathan Colwell about the issue, and he confirmed that the police department has received “several complaints” of speeding and rolling stops at these intersections. Colwell also examined the collision statistics at these intersections.
“From Jan. 1, 2020 through Dec. 31, 2024, there were three motor vehicle collisions reported in the search area of Amsterdam Road and Redwood Drive and Amsterdam Road and Morris Drive,” Colwell said. “All were minor in nature and no injuries were reported.”
According to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, suburban residents are “slightly more likely” to report an increase in unsafe driving over the past five years than those in urban or rural areas. One particular resident of Amsterdam Road noticed an uptick in dangerous driving and brought it to the city’s attention.
Matthew Klare has lived on the corner of Amsterdam and Redwood for 22 years.
“I love this city,” Klare said. “I have a lot of fondness for Fort Wright. I just wish I would have bought a house on a different street.”
Klare likes his neighbors and his home, but he has noticed an increase in reckless driving outside of his house. Recently, he was taking his trash out to the curb and had to step into the street to move around the piled snow. A car whipped around the corner and nearly hit him, but Klare got out of the way just in time. He felt he had to say something.
“Ever since the pandemic, people don’t care anymore,” Klare said. “And when they took out the asphalt and put in the concrete [on this street], they made the road just a little wider. Now people think it’s a speedway.”
Klare brought his concerns to the mayor.
“Mayor Hatter and the police have been great about this,” Klare said. “They’ve been very responsive.”
The increased police presence on Amsterdam Road will remain for the “foreseeable future.” LINK asked Colwell what his department aims to achieve with more patrols.
“The main goal for increased police presence is to deter bad driving behaviors,” Colwell said.
Hatter expanded on this.
“We don’t like to write tickets, and the city doesn’t get revenue from it,” Hatter said. “But sometimes, it seems to be the best way to get the message out. That’s why we warn people [of heavier patrols] ahead of time.”
Traffic studies show that patrolling at collision “hotspots” can lead to safer driving in those areas, at least in the short term. However, Fort Wright recognizes that increased, visible enforcement isn’t sustainable.
The city can only increase enforcement on Amsterdam for so long. As one of the busiest police departments in the area, their attention gets pulled elsewhere.
“The problem with all of these enforcement initiatives is that they make an immediate impact, but as soon as we go away, drivers fall back into those bad behaviors,” Hatter said. “Hopefully, we can make a change by trying to raise awareness.”
LINK spoke with University of Cincinnati assistant professor and traffic expert Dr. John Ash to gain insight into reckless driving in residential suburban areas.
He explained that some people drive recklessly on low-trafficked residential roads for exactly the reasons that you would expect.
“[There’s the] convenience/desire to avoid traffic, frustration, and habits, [ . . . ] depending on the person,” Ash said.
However, he also explained that unsafe driving involves more than just the individual’s choices. LINK asked Ash if he observes anything in suburban, residential road design that encourages reckless driving.
“There can be, it depends on the situation,” Ash said. “Wider lanes/roadway areas can encourage drivers to drive faster. Lack of [bike lanes and/or sidewalks] may also mean that such users feel less comfortable traveling along a given roadway. Drivers may then get used to not seeing these users and become less cautious.”
There is no consensus on what should be ultimately done about Amsterdam Road. Matthew Klare talked about a neighbor who suggested a flashing stop light. Dr. Ash said that there likely isn’t a single solution. Chief Colwell and Mayor Hatter remind drivers to be courteous and safe, not just to protect themselves.