Van Treuren Asks City To Stop Dangerous Speeders In Amherst Neighborhoods
November 7, 2010
Councilman At-Large Phil Van Treuren says that speeders have become a serious threat to families in some Amherst neighborhoods, and is asking the city to consider options for slowing down traffic. He points to West Martin Avenue in the Apple Orchard area as the worst for speeders, and says that other neighborhoods in the city have similar problems.
“In the last year, numerous residents have told me that they are worried someone is going to get injured because of speeders on West Martin,” Van Treuren said. “I’ve personally seen the problems with speeders on this street, and I think it’s particularly dangerous because of all the children in the area.”
The West Martin area in Apple Orchard.
Van Treuren says that West Martin stretches for nearly a mile in Apple Orchard without a single stop sign, which allows some drivers to reach dangerous speeds on a street with many curves. He plans to ask Mayor David Taylor to consider different options for slowing down traffic on the street.
“State law apparently doesn’t allow cities to use stop signs to control speeding, but there are other possibilities that I hope the administration will consider,” Van Treuren said. “Installing a few permanent speed bumps that are snowplow-friendly is one method other cities have used to slow down traffic in neighborhoods.”
Click Here to see info on the “speed hump” program used by the City of Phoenix in residential neighborhoods to slow down traffic.
Example of "speed humps" used by some cities to slow down traffic.
Van Treuren says that West Martin is a good street to start testing methods for slowing down traffic, which could be used in other Amherst neighborhoods if they prove to be successful.
“Our families and children are what make this community great, and I think it’s important that we focus on making Amherst neighborhoods as safe as possible for them,” Van Treuren said. “I hope that residents will contact me with any input they have about other streets that have speeding problems, and ideas for how we can slow down traffic.”
Any Amherst residents who wish to contact Van Treuren about this issue can do so on this site’s contact page.