Residents urge lower speed limit, traffic calming near Callahan Park after pet struck

Kelly Kingview, a Bradford resident, told the City Council that she and neighbors are asking the city to pursue a lower speed limit and traffic-calming measures on Hoffman Avenue near Callahan Park after a family pet was struck and killed on April 9. "By lowering the speed limit to 15 miles per hour and installing self policing speed bumps, you can ensure all of your constituents, young and old alike, a safe place to recreate," Kingview said, noting she submitted a petition with more than 300 signatures.

The city's police and legal staff described limits on local authority and possible interim steps. School Resource Officer Daughtry returned Kingview's earlier request for enforcement but "did not see anyone speeding," Kingview said; he told her the roadway felt fast but had not produced enforcement reports. A police speaker said the department searched three years of records and found "little and no complaints of speeding on that roadway," and urged residents to call with vehicle descriptions or plate numbers when incidents occur.

Mark Hollenbeck, the city attorney, summarized state law on speed limits. "Pennsylvania's traffic code is Title 75 of the current statutes," Hollenbeck said, explaining that a residence district default is 25 mph and that PennDOT must authorize special local limits after a traffic-engineering investigation. "If the city were to want to look into that, they can't do it unilaterally," Hollenbeck said, adding that PennDOT's regulations describe how those studies must be carried out.

Residents and public commenters urged the council to pursue engineering or automated solutions in addition to enforcement. Alexander Casper, who identified himself as secretary of the Green Party of Pennsylvania and a former planner in Philadelphia, urged installing physical traffic-calming devices and automated enforcement where allowed. "Speed bumps is a really good resource, especially on our pedestrian streets, especially in our parks that help save a child, save a pet, save a baby's life," Casper said, and cited experience elsewhere where automated enforcement reduced speeding.

Council members and police said some technical limits complicate local action. Councilors and former police officials noted that Pennsylvania currently restricts municipal use of radar, which limits local automated speed enforcement, and that some locations lack the sight lines needed for average-speed devices. As an interim step, a police official recommended increased patrol attention and said the department would deploy portable flashing speed-warning signs in the near term.

The council did not vote on any ordinance or formal study at the meeting. Council members said staff will follow up with PennDOT guidance and try to place portable speed-warning signs near the park before summer. Kingview and other speakers were told to supply any further evidence (plate numbers, photos) to assist enforcement and follow-up.