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Residents, councilmembers point to fewer crashes after Sixth Street lane reduction; speeding complaints prompt study on Trenton
Summary
Speakers said a recent lane reduction on Sixth Street has slowed traffic and improved safety; a resident reported repeated high speeds on Trenton Avenue and asked for enforcement while Public Works readies a traffic study and a draft traffic‑calming policy.
Residents and council members described traffic‑calming experiments and enforcement gaps during public comment and council reports on May 21.
A Bremerton resident identified as Travis said the lane reduction on Sixth Street — an experiment that reduced vehicular lanes — has slowed drivers and had no observed increase in crashes. "The street has never been safer," he said, and encouraged council members to observe peak traffic at 4:25 p.m. to see current performance.
Jack Reid, who lives on Trenton Avenue, reported personal speed measurements taken with a handheld radar gun over 2.5 hours and said he recorded speeds reaching 52 mph on a residential collector where most vehicles were traveling in the high 20s to mid‑30s shortly after a turn. Reid said he expects a Public Works traffic study in June and asked for interim enforcement.
Council member Coughlin said staff provided a "really nice draft" of a traffic‑calming policy that includes quick‑build measures such as bump-outs, lane narrowing and other engineering solutions and said staff are preparing options to present to council. No new regulations or enforcement directives were adopted at the meeting; the council noted the study and the draft policy as next steps.
