Centreville council to further curtail speeders in Little Kidwell area

“Right now, Green Street to Little Kidwell is the path of least resistance through town,” Council member Jim Beauchamp said of the road he calls the “Centreville Beltway.”

Council Vice President Ashley Kaiser said while she agreed with town streets being connected for the greater good of the community, that more needed to be done.

Centreville Police Chief Robert Hobbs gave the council a report on a recent nine day speed summary, observing that only three speeds were recorded over 10 mph, all three consisting of calibration runs by local officers.

Beauchamp said he was surprised the speeds logged during the summary weren’t higher based on local residents’ observations and perceptions of the frequency of elevated speeds.

Town Manager Chip Koogle said the lack of elevated speeds in the nine day summary likely reflected a partial modification of behavior the speed sign was already creating as drivers saw their displayed speeds and slowed down accordingly.

Two citizens spoke at the during public comment about their view of the need for a solution.

Theo Reed, a resident of Little Kidwell Avenue, said he has been fighting the battle for lowering speed in the area for 17 years, and he requested further speed calming technology to possibly include speed bumps be installed. He said increased local population, distracted driving and the soon to be completed YMCA have exacerbated the problem and require a new solution.

Brandon Bonner, a resident of Green Street and a father of five kids, said he appreciated law enforcement and other efforts to tamp down on the speeding he said he sees every day, he also requests physical measures to force drivers to slow down. Bonner, a certified critical care paramedic, said he has seen children injured by being struck by cars and does not want that to happen in Centreville. “Let’s be proactive instead of reactive,” he said.

In addition to law enforcement efforts, another safety measure that has been implemented is stop signs with blinking red lights at the four way stop at the intersection of Little Kidwell Avenue and Providence Court.

The council discussed other methods of curtailing excessive speed, including seeking to have the speed limit lowered and speed bumps (smaller humps as opposed to a larger speed hump), or a serpentine traffic pattern.