After months of complaints, Sunset Beach council opts to wait on permanent fixes for 6th Street

Dozens of residents spoke at the Aug. 3 council meeting urging action to reduce speeding and cut‑through traffic on 6th Street. Speakers proposed measures ranging from barricades at Canal to converting 6th Street to one‑way, but council members repeatedly raised concerns that any change would shift impacts to other neighborhoods.

Police reports presented to the council showed 11,069 vehicle passes on 6th Street during the May 31–June 16 study period, with an average recorded speed of 22.47 mph on a 20‑mph street. Police chief (speaker 4) told the council that, while volume and complaints are high, the crash data did not show injuries or fatalities that would force immediate emergency measures. “We haven’t had an incident where somebody’s walking a dog and a dog gets run over by a car,” the chief said, noting the importance of data before permanent changes.

Council members discussed short‑term enforcement and signage options — additional radar signs, stop‑sign placement, and targeted patrols — but worried that barricades or one‑way conversions would push traffic onto unpaved streets and create new problems. After discussion, the council reached consensus to monitor the current measures through the remainder of the summer and to ask staff to run an off‑season traffic survey for comparison before deciding longer‑term engineering changes.

What residents asked for: barricades at Canal, moving Canal traffic to 7th Street, additional stop signs, and more enforcement. What council asked staff to do: continue enforcement, consider additional signage or temporary measures, and return with an off‑season traffic study that will show whether the problem is seasonal or year‑round.