Xenia residents press council for traffic calming on Hollywood Boulevard; city orders radar signs, funds pilot program

Dozens of residents from Hollywood Boulevard urged the Xenia City Council on Oct. 9 to take immediate action after the street opened to through-traffic from a nearby subdivision and speeds they described as routinely far above the 25 mph limit.

"Please do not let the death of a small kid be the reason for doing something," said Kara Sope, a resident who lives at 400 Hollywood Boulevard, describing repeated near-misses and urging stop signs or other measures to slow drivers. Anna Maria Walls and other neighbors told council the street was previously a quiet residential block and that traffic and speeds have risen since the new development connected the road to adjacent thoroughfares.

City Manager Henry acknowledged the problem and described near-term and programmatic responses. "We are placing new radar signs both east and westbound," he said, adding that the solar-powered displays will flash drivers’ speeds and collect data staff can use to prescribe corrective measures. Henry also said the budget committee has approved a $50,000 traffic-calming pilot that will rely on speed data from those signs to recommend physical changes.

Henry explained the city must follow the Ohio Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) when placing regulatory signs, including stop signs. "We can't just go ahead and put signs wherever we want," he said, noting that placement requires documented traffic data; engineers also warned the council that arbitrarily placing stop signs can increase crash liability.

Police presence will be stepped up while staff installs the radar signs; the manager said the signs typically take three to four weeks to arrive and will be installed as soon as they arrive. Henry and other council members also outlined a toolbox of potential measures beyond speed displays: lane narrowing and visual cues, painted treatments, raised crossings, targeted enforcement, and in extreme cases speed cushions or bumps—while noting operational trade-offs such as winter snowplow clearance and emergency vehicle access.

Residents pressed for near-term visible measures: more 25-mph signage, school-zone markings at the bike-path crossing used by students from St. Bridget’s School, and temporary closures during construction. Several speakers said they had been told previously by city staff that speed bumps were not allowed on a city-maintained street; city staff said this depends on engineering criteria and snowplow/emergency access considerations.

Council members said they were responsive to the community’s concerns and would use the radar sign data and the newly funded pilot program to recommend specific physical changes. Mayor Will Urschel and other members pointed to past local successes in shifting driving culture through enforcement and physical treatments on neighborhood streets.

Next steps: staff will install the ordered radar signs, expand police enforcement in the area, collect and analyze speed data, and report back with recommended physical traffic-calming measures developed under the $50,000 pilot. Residents were invited to provide additional maps and photographs to staff for the study.