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Residents press county for speed bumps and three-way stops; staff cites study criteria
Summary
A Forest Creek resident urged installation of speed bumps and three-way stops to curb speeding and cut-through traffic; county staff reviewed prior studies and explained the MUTCD thresholds and petition process, offering to perform new studies.
A long-standing neighborhood request for speed humps and three-way stops drew public comment and a detailed staff response at the Columbia County Commission meeting.
John Arnold, a resident of Forest Creek for 34 years, described repeated speeding and requested three-way stops and additional speed bumps on Oak Chase and Villa Lane. "We would also like three-way stops at the other intersections on Villa Lane," Arnold said, noting recent accidents and residents parking to create choke points.
County staff explained the process and cited prior traffic studies. Staff said a January 2023 study recorded an 85th-percentile speed of 32 mph and that speed-hump criteria generally require an 85th-percentile speed of 35 mph. A later study conducted after residents’ feedback recorded 993 vehicles with an 85th-percentile speed of 26 mph, which did not meet the threshold for speed humps. The county representative said petitions and studies are performed on request and recommended waiting until the full school year for another study to capture typical traffic patterns.
Staff also described the criteria for three-way stops, which rely on delay and accident history rather than speed alone, and said they will perform additional studies (including a comparison of school-in and school-out periods) if residents submit a petition. The commission encouraged staff to work with the neighborhood to pursue the documented petition and study process.
