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Residents urge Bettendorf to restore larger speed humps on Heather Stone Road after near‑misses
Summary
Neighbors told the Bettendorf City Council that recent reductions to speed hump size on Heather Stone Road left the features ineffective, citing near‑misses involving children and presenting proposed specifications; Public Works and the city administrator said staff will review the installations and a draft policy before recommending next steps.
Neighbors pressed the Bettendorf City Council on Oct. 21 to restore stronger traffic‑calming measures on Heather Stone Road after residents said recently reduced speed humps no longer slow drivers.
"That could have been the headline this week after my son was nearly hit by a car," Jackie Miller (5051 Heather Stone Road) said, recounting a recent near‑miss and urging the city to "increase the size of the speed bumps ... so they actually do what they were intended to do." She told the council there are more than 25 children in the neighborhood who use the street without sidewalks.
Resident Lisa recounted earlier neighborhood efforts to slow traffic and suggested alternatives such as stop signs at Taylor and White Post or installing sidewalks. "Is the ability there to put maybe some stop signs ... to slow traffic?" she asked the council.
Worthington Treasure (5019 Heather Stone Road) gave a detailed history and a technical proposal. He said a temporary removable bump installed years ago was 24 inches wide and about 1½ inches tall, that three blacktop humps were installed on Sept. 11 and then torn out and replaced Oct. 9 after complaints, and that there remains no consistent specification for the city’s speed humps. "The goal of any speed hump is to slow down traffic," Treasure said, and he provided a cross‑section he recommended the city use going forward.
John Miller (5051 Heather Stone Road) told councilmembers he has watched drivers treat Heather Stone as a through street and urged officials to "choose safety over convenience." He urged the council to observe traffic firsthand during morning hours.
Brian, a Public Works staff member, told the council sidewalks have been considered for years but would require council authorization or homeowner assessments, described ongoing coordination with police on speed monitoring, and said the recently installed humps were measured and modified because the contractor had built them taller than authorized. He said typical hump height is "between 3 and 5 inches" and that staff will survey the installed features and examine residents’ concerns.
City administrator Decker Plain said the issue has a long history, noted past speed studies and temporary measures, and recommended the council discuss a draft policy on speed hump installation during goal‑setting. "We just need to examine that and see if in that policy ... what that height and width need to be for the reconstruction," Plain said, and he committed staff to review the residents’ diagram and return with options.
The council did not take an immediate vote on changes; Mayor Robert Gallagher said staff will follow up and the item will be discussed further during policy and goal‑setting work.
Next steps: staff will re‑survey the humps, compare them to the draft policy and the residents’ recommended specification, and report back to the council.
