Cheverly council approves permanent speed humps on Lake Avenue and Forest Road

The Cheverly Town Council voted to install permanent speed humps on the 3100 block of Lake Avenue and the 5700 block of Forest Road after a public hearing in which residents described speeding, crashes, and successful temporary devices.

At the hearing, residents said temporary speed-control devices placed earlier this year had reduced dangerous driving. "In my 38 years on the block, I do want to mention that we don't have off-street parking...this speed hump has made a major improvement," said Barbara Solt, who said she and neighbors petitioned the town. Joe Freebel, who said he led the original petition effort, told the council he and volunteers canvassed the blocks and gathered widespread signatures supporting traffic calming.

Councilmember Wade said the petition process met the town's 60% threshold and described multiple community engagements, including Ward 1 walks with police and staff. He moved the motion to install permanent speed humps, which was seconded and approved by voice vote.

Traffic engineer Jack Good told the council that staff used on-site meetings, resident feedback and engineering guidance from the Maryland Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices to develop recommendations. Good said the town had trialed temporary humps to assess effects and plans permanent humps with a more gradual profile suitable for 20–25 mph streets. He described target spacing of roughly 250–300 feet between devices to avoid causing drivers to speed up between bumps.

Several residents asked about documentation of the study and outreach. Donna Lucas said she had not received meeting notices and that the Maryland Department of Transportation and Prince George's County had no record of a traffic study for Lake Avenue. In response, council members and staff said the town conducted its own study and community engagement and that staff would provide copies of the traffic report on request. "We do know that a traffic study was conducted, and...we can probably provide a copy of that," the mayor said.

Speakers also raised design and nuisance concerns. Some residents said temporary devices caused vibration or noise when heavy vehicles passed and urged the council to select a smoother, less jarring permanent design. Holly Torgerson and Juanita Dillard cited recent crashes and a rollover that residents attributed to speed; those comments were offered as context for prioritizing public-safety measures.

Council members repeatedly framed the vote as driven by public-safety considerations and resident petitioning. After the motion passed on a voice vote, the mayor thanked staff, the traffic engineer and residents for their work and closed the hearing. The council also moved to adjourn the meeting.

Next steps identified in the hearing included staff finalizing design specifications for the permanent speed humps and providing the traffic-study documentation to residents who requested it; the transcript did not record a timetable for installation.