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Munhall council debates removable speed humps, enforcement and study results
Summary
Council and residents discussed options to slow speeding on local streets: temporary removable summer speed humps, targeted enforcement using officers or speed-timing devices, or longer traffic-calming installations; cost, maintenance and snowplow impacts were raised.
Munhall Borough council members and residents spent a large portion of Monday’s meeting debating how best to slow traffic on neighborhood streets after an engineer presented preliminary speed-hump evaluations.
The borough’s engineer said KOH is collecting directional data at two locations to provide a comprehensive traffic pattern report. "KOH is continuing to sort and evaluate the available data for these two locations," the engineer said, adding that data from both directions was needed to assess patterns before recommending permanent measures.
Residents and councilors discussed a range of options. One council member suggested seasonal removable speed humps—installed in summer and removed before winter—to slow traffic during high-use months and avoid damage from snowplows. Proponents said removable humps can be less costly and protect children during summer events near playgrounds; opponents warned they could damage vehicles or become a maintenance burden on borough crews.
Several members urged stepped-up enforcement as an alternative. A council member suggested placing officers at stop signs and issuing citations to change driver behavior. Police representatives noted Munhall already uses speed-timing devices at selected longer straightaways and cautioned that some enforcement tools (like radar) are restricted by state law; councilors discussed sending a letter to state legislators asking to allow radar enforcement in Pennsylvania.
Cost concerns surfaced: councilors estimated that broader installation of permanent speed humps across multiple streets could become a six-figure expense, and members debated whether enforcement funds or capital investment would yield better results. The engineer and police recommended completing the data study first and then selecting sites appropriate for either targeted enforcement or physical calming measures.
No vote or contract award was taken. Council members asked staff to continue data collection, evaluate temporary solutions and investigate grant funding possibilities for public-safety projects.
