Residents petition for speed bumps on Laclede Station Road as council adds road to commercial-vehicle ban

Charles Callaway, a Maplewood resident, told the City Council during the first public-comment period that speeding, heavy truck traffic and parked cars have made Laclede Station Road unsafe for residents and children. The council, at the same meeting, approved final-reading legislation adding Laclede Station Road (and Roseland Terrace) to the city code list of streets closed to commercial vehicles, an action council members said responded to resident concerns. Callaway said neighbors circulated a petition requesting speed bumps and asked the council to consider lowering the speed limit to 15 miles per hour and reassessing a no-parking rule that he said encourages cut-through traffic. He also reported occasional 18-wheelers using the street despite signage prohibiting them and said school-bus stops on the road create particular safety risks when vehicles do not stop. Mayor Greenberg and council members noted Callaway’s comments during discussion of the ordinance adding Laclede Station Road to the city’s commercial-vehicle restriction list. The motion for final reading was approved by roll call; the ordinance was recorded as Ordinance 60-83. The council did not adopt a specific speed-bump installation or a new local speed limit at the meeting. Mayor Greenberg told Callaway the public-works director had already been contacted and staff would “get the process started,” indicating the petition had been passed to city staff for follow-up. What happens next: the ordinance restricting commercial vehicles on Laclede Station Road is now in force as Ordinance 60-83. Any physical traffic-calming measures Callaway requested (speed bumps or a 15 mph limit) will require separate action by city staff or council after the public-works department evaluates the petition and budget implications.