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Residents urge council to keep South Mountain Drive speed bump; city engineer recommends removal
Summary
Neighbors told the council the device calms traffic and protects children; City Engineer Kent Fugal said the feature functions as a damaging "speed bump" and should be removed or redesigned while the police and staff discussed enforcement and a radar speed sign.
City Engineer Kent Fugal recommended that the council remove a small traffic-calming device on South Mountain Drive, arguing the treatment functions as a speed bump rather than an industry-approved speed hump and forces vehicles to slow far below the posted limit.
"My recommendation from an engineering standpoint is that the speed bump should be removed," Fugal told the council, adding that properly designed speed humps allow travel at or near the legal limit and avoid the "jackrabbit" effect of higher speeds between devices. He also noted concerns about proximity to a nearby intersection and impacts to snowplow operation.
Neighbors who live adjacent to the device urged the council to keep it. "The speed bump is doing what it's supposed to do," said resident Vickie Graham, who described frequent speeding and recent police attention in the neighborhood. Resident DJ Bettage said the stretch has seen rapid traffic increases and that the hump protects children who play on nearby sidewalks.
Police Chief Darin Adams said officers have issued citations after recent observations and that enforcement is part of the response toolbox. He also noted the department budgeted for radar-feedback signs and that enforcement data and a planned sign (budgeted at roughly $5,000 each) could be deployed to the area. Councilmembers agreed to move the item to the action agenda for a later decision and requested further options, including repainting and signage, before a final vote.
