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Parents press Smyrna for traffic-calming; public works explains speed-hump petition and study process
Summary
A Smyrna parent described near-misses at a bus stop and asked council for stop signs or speed humps; public works explained the current process (police enforcement, speed studies, petitions requiring roughly two-thirds support within ~1,000 feet, a 60/40 resident/town purchase split for speed humps, and options such as signage or alternate measures).
Katherine (Katie) Taylor told council she has witnessed vehicles run a stop sign at a bus stop and narrowly miss children, and she asked the town to add stop signs and to explore speed-hump installation. "Please, um, have someone come place stop signs," Taylor told the council, describing repeated close calls outside her home near a middle-school route.
Public works (Tom) and police described how the town evaluates neighborhood speeding complaints: police enforcement and citations; a speed study and traffic counts to test warrants for all-way stops; and, for speed humps, a neighborhood petition canvassing property owners within roughly 1,000 feet, a two-thirds approval threshold and a cost split (about 60% resident / 40% town) for purchasing the hump. Tom said the town pays installation, signage and long-term maintenance once installed and will remove and reinstall humps at no cost when streets are resurfaced.
Councilmembers urged continued police enforcement, additional speed studies and an engineering review for stop signs or other mitigations. Officials noted alternatives such as signage near playgrounds, rumble strips, or increased police presence could be used while neighborhoods pursue petition-driven traffic-calming measures.
