Council considers license-plate cameras and temporary speed-humps after residents report speeding

Munhall Borough staff told councilors at the Aug. 12 workshop about a vendor offering a free, up-to-six-month trial of live cameras and license-plate readers at key intersections, and residents urged the borough to take quick steps to slow speeding on neighborhood streets.

Why it matters: Residents said children ride scooters and bikes in residential areas such as Grace Street and West Run Road and described frequent high-speed driving. Council discussed both permanent camera placement for investigations and temporary physical calming measures to reduce speeds during summer months when children are out of school.

Staff showed a map of proposed camera locations covering Eighth Avenue, Ravine Street and Whitaker Way and described how camera and plate-reader deployments in neighboring municipalities helped investigators recover evidence after shootings. The vendor’s trial installation would be free; a post-trial annual cost was quoted roughly at $18,000 but could be lower if neighboring municipalities join.

Council also discussed portable speed-humps used in other municipalities and a low-cost in-house traffic-count approach. Staff and the police chief said they can deploy radar/count devices to gather empirical speed and volume data without hiring an outside firm. Several speakers urged starting with targeted traffic counts on Grace Street and Roberta Drive and then installing temporary speed humps for summer months; staff cautioned about limitations (heat can damage some temporary hump materials) and said portable devices are a seasonal option.

Ending: Council asked staff and police to gather traffic-count data at targeted locations and to return with cost and deployment recommendations for temporary calming measures and any camera program the borough may adopt.