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1/31: How to control residential speeding?

6:12 pm January 30, 2012, by AJC Opinion

Moderated by Tom Sabulis

It seems everyone’s in a hurry on metro Atlanta roads, and not just on the highways. Speeding continues to be a problem on residential roads, in your neighborhood and mine.

Today, I talk with three insiders about the complexities of traffic-calming plans, and a neighborhood leader writes about his frustrations trying to get help.

What’s your experience with speeding in your neighborhood?

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14 comments Add your comment

Ven

January 31st, 2012
5:09 am

My experience is that people who go less than the speed limit and block traffic in self righteousness are more of a problem. I see so many people going under ther limit but can’t seem to stay in their own lane or use turn signals or follow any other traffic rules except speed.

Sluggo

January 31st, 2012
7:14 am

Speed breaking bumps are the only solution. There is not enough adequate manpower for law enforcement. We can’t even control the posted speed limit on our main thoroughfares.

Don’t even get me started on the distracted drivers.

Laurie

January 31st, 2012
7:20 am

Speed bumps work on me, every time.

Bill Johnson

January 31st, 2012
8:31 am

I hate speeding in the neighborhood. It’s teens, but mostly mommies, cellphone in the ear, disregarding everyone else’s safety for their convenience.

Clue: If only those mommies would wake up. It’s not like no one speeds in front of their kids, no? Turnabout kills us all.

And then mommie will run the stop sign in leaving the subdivision to get in front of me and mysteriously go slow.

SouthernGal

January 31st, 2012
8:38 am

What amazes me is the “Moms’ picking up kids at school who disregard the speed limits for school zones.

ragnar danneskjold

January 31st, 2012
9:17 am

I would abolish all speeding laws, as that is a self-correcting behavior. Drive too fast, they die.

Boss Hawg

January 31st, 2012
9:49 am

Abolish all speed limits.

ND

January 31st, 2012
10:13 am

Reckless driving should be the only moving violation. Get rid of speeding, failure to maintain lane, and all the other nonsense.

Hmmmmm

January 31st, 2012
3:42 pm

Amazed at the many drivers who ride in people’s blind spot as if it is a “their” problem and not me being careless….and so what if I’m on my cellphone…you people are just haters because you can’t walk and chew gum at the same time.

Nicole

January 31st, 2012
5:19 pm

I walk with my son to school off Wieuca road near Lenox mall. Concerned about the overwhelming disregard for the 25-mile school-zone speed limit, I went to the Zone 2 Police precinct and requested that there be a patrol during the school start and end schedule to discourage speeding. The police officer I spoke with said it was hopeless to attempt to control speeders and that drivers will go back to speeding once they don’t see any police cars. I can’t tell you how upset that made me. Apparently, going after speeders isn’t as glamorous as going after other types of criminals. Well, it only takes one kid getting run over by a car…then will speeding in school zones/residential areas be considered criminal? However, I saw the same policeman directing traffic on Piedmont during rushhour. It seems that there’s more concern for traffic flow than there is for traffic enforcement.
I’ve seen so much–last year I saw a driver pass the school bus, but not on the driver’s side. It passed on the same side as the door where the kids were getting on. And I’m not so sure those speed humps work.

brock

January 31st, 2012
6:53 pm

The only things that will work are increased police presence or speed humps. In my neighborhood, someone convinced the city to erect unnecessary stop signs, even though the city engineer said they were not appropriate (do you put up stop signs on interstates to control speeding?).

So now, the already law-abiding stop and the speeders simply run the sign. I run it too and use the time saved to not speed!

Jack

January 31st, 2012
7:07 pm

Not only does this supposed “neighborhood speeding problem” not actually exist, but I object to the way the discussion was framed claiming it so! Why? Because Howell Mill Road is NOT a “neighborhood street,” but rather an arterial road and a major North-South corridor in Buckhead (one of only two, the other being Northside Drive). Traffic on Howell Mill is not “cut through” traffic; it is legitimate traffic that has no alternative except making a huge detour or zig-zagging through actual neighborhood streets.

The two possible solutions to this “problem” are actually really simple: Either widen Howell Mill to four lanes and make it officially the arterial highway that it already is in practice, or bulldoze a new arterial road though those neighborhoods.

Or maybe, just maybe, those folks could accept the fact that they bought houses on a major road and quit whining about it!

De'Lanice

January 31st, 2012
9:02 pm

Part of the problem is low tech – too few, or no, speed limit signs. Out here in the burbs there are roads where you can drive for miles and not see a posted speed limit, all the while your asking yourself what the hell is the speed limit here, am I speeding or being a slowpoke? Lots of people, you don’t tell them the speed limit they’ll make one up.

Darvocet spending

February 1st, 2012
2:21 pm

Nicole

January 31st, 2012
5:19 pm

Apparently, going after speeders isn’t as glamorous as going after other types of criminals.

In Atlanta I would definitely prefer the cops focusing on actual real crimes. You’re extremely selfish for demanding the police concentrate on finding speeders near your own precious, white children.