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Residents press Sykesville on speeding and unsafe park bridges; police outline enforcement steps
Summary
Residents raised speeding concerns and the placement of a speed-trailer; the police chief described recent enforcement efforts and agreed to share summary data. Town staff said the Miller Cooper Park foot bridges are unsafe and require full replacement and environmental review, so replacement is not in the current capital year.
Residents at the April 28 meeting told the Mayor and Town Council they remain concerned about speeding on local streets, the placement of the town’s speed-trailer, and the safety of park bridges at Miller Cooper Park.
Debbie Scheller asked why the speed trailer was deployed on Callorama where only about 10 houses sit beyond the deployment location and asked whether residents could be consulted about permanent measures such as speed bumps. The chief of police said the department’s two speed-trailer supervisors decide deployment locations based on safety and traffic patterns and that staff will consider resident comments when choosing locations.
The police chief reported enforcement activity since April 1: “We’ve done 25 traffic enforcement initiatives on Springfield,” and said officers continue to monitor speed at locations with crosswalk or sidewalk changes. The chief told the council the department can provide residents with data from speed-trailer surveys and suggested that a concise summary (average speed, total vehicle count, and count above a chosen threshold) could be posted to the department’s Facebook page; staff agreed this summary would be helpful for public understanding.
Council members and staff also discussed pedestrian safety following recent sidewalk work on Springfield Avenue. A council member asked that officers remind middle-school walkers to use the raised sidewalks that were recently installed because a curb feature can narrow and lead some students into the roadway.
On Miller Cooper Park, town staff said the existing foot bridges are “just simply no longer safe” and that what began as a decking repair turned into a structural problem requiring abutments and full replacement. Staff explained bridges of that siting require additional environmental review because of nearby waterways, and therefore the level of engineering and cost exceed the $170,000 grant previously associated with the project. Staff said demolition and replacement planning remain on the capital plan, but full replacement is not funded or scheduled in the current fiscal year; they suggested pursuing engineering in a later fiscal year or using future grant funding to address full replacement.
The chief also summarized recent public-safety calls and investigations: an 81-year-old man with cognitive impairment used a running neighbor’s car and drove to a downtown restaurant; officers located the vehicle and no charges were filed. Another incident involved a theft of clothing; detectives advised the victim to seek criminal charges from the commissioner’s office. Police recognized internal achievements: Sergeant Lacey was named 2024 Top Cop by the MML Police Executive Association, and Officer Jacobs and K-9 Redder completed narcotics-detection certification.
The police chief encouraged residents to report speeding or safety concerns to the police department with vehicle descriptions or tags when possible so officers can document complaints and target enforcement. Town staff said they would monitor the Norwood Avenue stormwater project timing and progress for related traffic impacts.
No formal council action was taken on the speeding deployments or bridge replacement during the meeting; staff said project planning and further engineering consideration will continue.
