Traffic Control in HOA

I was wondering what other communities do to enforce vehicle driving and parking regulations. I live in a HOA in which residents continually complain about vehicles exceeding posted speed limits, not stopping at stop signs and parking in ways that violate our documents. Other than the Manager, we have found no effective way of controlling these violations. Our Citizens on Patrol (COP), which is run by the County Sheriff, does not have the authority to cite violators (can't even leave their car during patrol per Sheriff) and only operate about 6-8 hours per day, mostly at night. It is not possible for the Manager to do this, given the workload, and furthermore the Manager is not here after 5PM or on weekends. Discussions to request the County Sheriff be brought in to patrol have not been favored as again, they can't be here all the time and that their coverage and actions might reach beyond just car/truck citations. I thought of proposing we hire an off-duty Sheriff or security guard to patrol the property with authority to hand out "community" citations. Thanks.

Traffic Control is the police duty. However, it sounds like your in a county and NOT city. This leaves limited control as most County's do not have alot of traffic enforcement laws. If you were in the city, I would recommend going to the City Council meeting. Once there you would need to request to make an ORDINANCE. Which is a local law. That ordinance could be about the issues you want corrected such as speeding, parking on side of the road, or other violations. However, you may have to work with the CODE department of the city to make sure the new ordinance fits into the city CODE.

We had an issue with parking on the side of the road. The road was too narrow for cars to park on BOTH sides of the road. Our rules stated you had to park in your garage. Many people had multiple cars and not every house had a garage. The road was created when the HOA was part of the COUNTY. It didn't meet the WIDTH requirements of the City we incorporated into. This lead to a serious problem with our Fire Hydrants, garbage pickup, and emergency response. If cars were parked on BOTH sides of the road, then large vehicles couldn't make it through.

I had to go to the city and take a tour with the fire marshall/city representative. We developed a plan of limiting parking on the SAME side of the fire hydrant. Which meant NO parking on the RIGHT side of the road. However, there was another issue. The City required placing "No parking" Signs up every few hundred yards. Our HOA documents FORBID signs other than For Sale/rent. Plus the signs were ugly and inconvenient. I was lucky enough to talk to the City's Code department. He was able to allow us to PAINT our curbs RED with WHITE lettering for "No Parking". He also allowed us BLUE for handicap parking. This way the city could enforce the parking regulations LEGALLY.

This is just a small example of what we did to address our traffic issues. You may want to see what the existing laws are and how to work within them. We also had issues with a local sherrif's office and their patrolling. So I understand the frustration in their limits and in some cases, their competence...

We used increase signage to help keep the speed down.

We include articles in the newsletter about being a careful driver and point out the standard safety stuff - kids run out into the roads.

We started a campaign of posting warning letters on vehicles that violate parking regulations and kept track of them (with pictures). If a third notice had to be used, enforcement procedures started (letters, hearings, fines, etc.).

The smartest thing I ever saw done was when a new building was build the developer waited before installing sidewalks. As people traveled in and out of the building, paths were made in the grass. The developer then installed sidewalks where the people were walking.

Perhaps the Association might want to look at expanding the parking lot into those grassy areas.

Tim

First of all is it a violation of the CC&R's to speed and what are the consequences of violating the speed limit? If it is a huge problem and a violation, contract with one of those traffic control camera companies. They put up one or more of those radar controlled cameras and split part of the fine as their fee.

Per FL Statutes §316.006 Sect. 2(b)4: The board of directors of a homeowners’ association as defined in chapter 720 may, by majority vote, elect to have state traffic laws enforced by local law enforcement agencies on private roads that are controlled by the association.

and ...

per §316.006 Sect. 3(b)5: The board of directors of a homeowners’ association as defined in chapter 720 may, by majority vote, elect to have state traffic laws enforced by local law enforcement agencies on private roads that are controlled by the association.

Oh if only it was that easy.

The costs (salary, signage, road striping, officer costs, insurance, etc.) associated with this "majority vote" are substancial and typically, in this current economy, flat out prohibitive. Nor does the majority vote guarantee the local authorities will agree.

We found speed bumps, a one time cost, to be far more effective as they are always "on duty" which will not be the case with local law enforcement.