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Residents press Southampton County to seek VDOT safety study and move speed signage after near-misses
Summary
Residents urged the board Nov. 18 to address sightline and speed-sign placement on county roads. A resident petition with 62 names requested pruning on Girl Scout property at a dangerous Lakeside Drive curve; the board voted to send a Lakeside Drive safety-study request to VDOT and agreed to place the topic on the next agenda.
Residents told the Southampton County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 18 they are concerned about hazardous sightlines and speeding on county roads and asked the board to pursue remedies with VDOT or, where possible, to coordinate volunteer clearing with property-owner permission.
"When you come down Ivar Road and you hit Route 35... the speed limit on 35 turns to 55," said resident Jack Claude, who asked the board to "take a look with VDOT at moving that sign all the way down... That would be 1,300 feet." Claude described how the sign placement shortens the available time for drivers turning from Ivar Road and said moving the sign would increase travel time by only about nine seconds while improving left-turn safety.
Ash Cutchen, a Darden Point Road resident, presented a petition signed by 62 neighbors asking the county to address vegetation on Girl Scout-owned property that blocks visibility on a sharp 90-degree curve on Lakeside Drive. Cutchen told the board several neighbors reported near head-on collisions and that the problem discourages walking in the area.
Board members debated whether the issue belongs to VDOT and whether county crews should work on private property. County staff said VDOT typically does not work on private property and may ask for a speed/safety study; staff recommended submitting a safety-study request to VDOT so the state agency can evaluate the location and recommend remedies. After discussion about volunteer pruning and property-owner consent, the board voted to send the Lakeside Drive safety-study resolution to VDOT.
The board also approved a separate safety-study request for Bridal Church Road that asks VDOT to evaluate a right-turn lane, and members discussed interim steps residents could take with landowner permission if VDOT declines immediate action. Several supervisors urged residents to document specific safety incidents to support any study request.
