The City Council is moving forward with the installation of four speed bumps on West Southgate Avenue, after some residents on the street complained of constant speeding.
The council, after several months of speed surveys conducted by a city engineer, approved the measure, which then needed approval of 2/3 of the residents on the street to begin construction.
Resident Melanie Etheridge, who had been working with the council for several months to find a solution for the speeding, spearheaded the signature gathering. She got about 80% of the street to sign off on the petition. “I figured since I was well above the 67 percent, I could stop there,” Etheridge said.
An appeal was filed by one resident who did not want the speed bumps installed, but was dismissed by the council because it was filed for personal reasons.
While I applaud the residents of West Southgate for looking out for the best interests of their families, I have to wonder if the council is simply oiling the squeaky wheel here.
A drive down West Southgate is different from most streets in Fort Thomas. The speed limit there is 20 MPH and 15 MPH from Memorial Parkway to the first stop sign. There is also a kid size yellow mannequin on the side of the road fully equipped with a red hat and flag, which reminds anyone who hasn’t figured it out, that the neighbors on that street do not want you to speed.
It would be one thing if these residents had some skin in the game financially when they signed the petition to pony up for their cause, but this project is going to be done by city staff using money from the city’s general fund.
Look, I’m all for safety of the kids on the street. But I wonder how many streets the council would approve speed bumps for if each had a few squeaky wheels on their streets.
I lived on a dead end street growing up. Obviously, our neighbors have little issues there with speeding. When I moved back and rented for a few months, I lived on Lumley and even though it was partially a dead end street, there were plenty of speeders. Currently, I live on one the most trafficked roads in the city. The main reason why I tell you this is that a similar thread can be applied to every street, from a low traffic cul de sac, to the corner of Highland Ave. and Fort Thomas Ave.
People speed.
I can think of at least three solutions that wouldn’t cost a thing.
1) No parking on the streets.
2) Enforce police radar more frequently.
3) Don’t let your kids play in the front yard.
I’m not sure how much these speed bumps will cost. They may be very inexpensive for all I know. I just know that it seems like common sense could fix this issue. Not more tax dollars.
