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Residents ask council to pause Type 3 barricades planned for Wimbledon Drive
Summary
Multiple Wimbledon Drive residents told the Bedford City Council that industrial‑grade Type 3 MUTCD barricades proposed for the dead end are unnecessary, costly and deployed without adequate notice or supporting engineering studies; they asked the city to pause installations and release the analysis.
Several residents of Wimbledon Drive told the Bedford City Council on June 9 that the city’s planned installation of large Type 3 MUTCD barricades at the end of their street is excessive, harms neighborhood aesthetics and was implemented without adequate planning documents or notice.
Rebecca Ritchie, who said she lives at 1604 Wimbledon Drive, told the council that "the city manager's and attorney's position that the type 3 barricade is the only option available at the end of our street. Respectfully, the statement is not supported by MUTCD." She described the devices as "industrial size construction barricades approximately 30 feet long and 6 feet high," said residents gathered more than 50 signatures opposing the plan, and said they have filed public‑information requests for traffic counts, engineering reports and hazard analyses to justify the change.
Other neighbors backed Ritchie’s request for alternatives. Mark Ritchie said the city never provided the planning and zoning reports he expected and that crews began assembling a barricade without 48‑hour notice. Glenn Martin and Mary Jensen suggested cheaper or less intrusive measures — a dead‑end sign placed earlier on the route and smaller end‑of‑road markers — noting the narrow use of the spur street and the potential for property‑value impacts. Dalton Franklin urged the council to consider the city's broader revenue consequences, citing previous city water‑rate guidance that produced unexpected household cost burdens.
Residents asked the council to pause the current installation schedule and direct city staff to meet with homeowners and release the engineering analysis underlying the decision. Mayor Kogan thanked speakers for their input and said the council would consider what was brought up as it moved on to the agenda.
Why it matters: Councilmembers and staff indicated the city is reviewing traffic devices across multiple streets; residents said they fear a one‑size‑fits‑all rollout that will impose permanent, industrial infrastructure in quiet residential settings.
