Citizens raise reckless driving concerns at Troy Council Meeting
By Josh Jones
Times Tribune Editor
TROY — Two concerned citizens supported by a group of other neighborhood residents spoke about ongoing issues regarding dangerous driving in their neighborhood and petitioned the city to take action during Monday’s regular city council meeting.
Concerned resident Gretchen Smith was the first to speak during the public input portion of the meeting. She said that she is a mother of five and has lived on Long Branch Road in Country Village Estates for three years. Smith said she was present to speak on the speeding and reckless driving that is ongoing on their road.
“I would like to request that a speed bump or speed table be installed on Long Branch Road, between Harvestyme Lane and Wheatridge Drive, to protect our residents and more specifically the children of our neighborhood,” Smith said. “I along with several members of our subdivision are concerned with the wellbeing of our children, walkers and cyclists.”
Smith said for those not familiar, Long Branch Road is the only street that goes to the back of their neighborhood, which means it gets a lot of traffic on a day-to-day basis.
“Our neighborhood also lacks any crosswalks and the only sidewalks are at the very back of the subdivision, so walking, cycling and crossing happen all along the street. Not including my own children there are 10 additional children in neighboring homes that regularly cross the street to play with each other,” Smith said. “The last stop sign before the most commonly used area for crossing is about two-tenths of a mile away and many drivers race from stop to stop and another portion of drivers are looking down at their phones.”
Smith said that these drivers’ blatant disregard for others is why she was requesting a speed bump or table rather than a stop sign. She said another stop sign will most likely be ignored and that a speed bump/table would get drivers to slow down at places where children are frequently at.
“The other stop signs in our subdivision are regularly considered suggestion rather than law, a fact that I can personally attest to as our property faces two of those stop signs and we see drivers usually rolling through them and other residents regularly comment on the erratic driving they also see at the intersections they live at,” Smith said, later adding. “Once again I would like to ask the city to make an addition of a speed bump or speed table along Long Branch Road, before a reckless driver makes one out of our children.”
Troy Chief of Police Chris Wasser said that they are in the process of collecting data and will tailor their enforcement actions.
“We will make sure we have cars out there at specific times,” Wasser said. “Obviously having somebody out there 24 hours a day won’t work. You will see us out there, the officers were out there this weekend and wrote a couple citations. We will do the very best we can.”
Mayor David Nonn said that it is good to start with the monitoring, which the police department is in the process of, to find the best way to respond.
“They should obey the proper speed limit, I think it is 25 all the way through there, and I know that people come through 30, 40, 50 miles an hour,” Nonn said. “Let us start with the monitoring and we are going to tailor some police patrols to those times when we are having issues and we will see if that alleviates the problem and if it doesn’t then we will take additional measures.”
Concerned resident Brittany Lanahan also spoke on the issue. She said that she has two children and they are an active family that likes to walk their dogs and bike in the area.
“I actually fell in front of Gretchen’s house not too long ago, because I was trying to avoid a car from hitting me in that same intersection,” Lanahan said.
Lanahan said that it is a tough area to be living in as a lot of old families are moving out and new families are moving in and noted that she has neighbors that have a newborn on the way and a 2-year-old.
“The 2-year-old runs from her yard on Long Branch to my house because I have a swing in the front yard,” Lanahan said. “So I am very concerned that something is going to happen to her and to the animals that are out.”
Lanahan said that she has seen several officers sit by her yard and are pulling people over in just a matter of seconds of beginning. She said that she has posted photos of people’s vehicles as they are speeding on their neighborhood’s community Facebook page to “call them out” and enact change.
“I have had my car egged in the neighborhood, not because of this incident, but there are teenagers that come flying through, causing property damage, egging people’s homes,” Lanahan said. “I mean that is something they worked hard for. They are destroying paint, they are destroying vehicles. I don’t want to live somewhere where people aren’t going to be held accountable for what they are doing.”
Lanahan said that this is not a 7:30 a.m. or a 5:30 p.m. issue, but something that occurs all day long.
“There needs to be something else done and if you put a speed bump down, maybe it damages a couple of vehicles and maybe it saves somebody,” Lanahan said.
Nonn said unfortunately this is not a problem exclusive to one neighborhood.
“Unfortunately we are having that problem in several neighborhoods,” Nonn said. “We will be diligent in trying to catch these folks. We will take it one step at a time and I am sure the chief will be all over it.”
- The council approved the May 20 meeting minutes.
- The next Planning Commission Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 13.
- The Law Enforcement & Emergency Services Committee Meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday, June 17.
- The Troy City Council approved six ordinances authorizing the execution of a water service and pre-annexation agreement. The properties in the ordinances include 97 Red Coach Lane, 1303 Access Road, 1306 Bridlespur Lane, 8432 Steelecrest Lane, 8436 Steelecrest Lane and 8439 Steelecrest Lane.
- The council heard various reports.
