Speeding

Started by RalphR1 • 14 replies • 2409 views

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RalphR1 (Colorado)
Posts: 10

Posted:

Our HOA is looking into how to enforce existing Rules and Regulations regarding speeding in our community. Currently, residents must report those who are in violation to the BOD and GM. There are then fines that can be assessed by the BOD or GM. This has been ineffective in slowing down the speeders as it is problematic to verify the speed of the vehicle in question. Since our roads are private, the County will not provide enforcement. Have other HOA's utilized private security firms to identify and ticket those in violation of speed limits? Or has anyone used photo/radar cameras? Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

BrianB (California)
Posts: 2,820

Posted:

It is possible to rent or borrow radar speed guns for use, or rent trailers with speed guns integral (you are going XX fast) (hint, google "radar speed gun rental"). Sometimes, just the physical presence of people taking measurements, or the trailers, will help bring awareness. Changing habits is tougher.

IF you go this route, please go all the way, and get all operators trained in how to properly set up and calibrate the units. Do daily calibrations, record the values, and be very professional. It is required as burden of proof for a policeman to have been trained, understand the unit, do calibrations, and provide accurate records of said testing, if you want to "prove" that someone is speeding (in order to issue a fine), you should do the same. It will save you many headaches later to have been prepared earlier.

Now, on the plus side, since this isn't traffic court, your burden of proof is lower, but if you are professional about it, you've won 90% of the battle before you even pull the trigger. Even if you use a cheap "pitching gun", and you've got testing documents, calibration records, etc., you will hold your end up in (most) any hearing.

RalphR1 (Colorado)
Posts: 10

Posted:

Good advice, thanks. Certainly, this would be the most cost effective approach, if volunteers could be trained to provide the personnel needed. We do have a security firm to staff our entry station, perhaps they could provide such a service for a fee. Might be worth checking into. Cost is certainly a factor, but safety issues and lack of civility shown by speeders would warrant the investment.

SharonW3 (North Carolina)
Posts: 30

Posted:

We have the same speeding issues in our community. Have you thought of speed bumps? This will be our next step.

RalphR1 (Colorado)
Posts: 10

Posted:

We had speed bumps, which I thot were effective. However, wealthy and influential residents were able to convince the Board to remove them ALL! Speeding has now increased and become a real issue. Therefore a small group of us are looking at ways to enforce our existing speed limits. Reinstating some type of "speed table" and radar enforcement may be our only viable options. The Board is resisting citing "financial" reasons. However, they just spent $10k on a rock wall to screen a community center a/c unit...
Roxborough Park, Colorado

LarryB13 (Arizona)
Posts: 4,099

Posted:

Ralph:

The city of Phoenix has installed several traffic calming chicanes around town.

Chicanes come in all shapes, but the city's work by first forcing traffic to move toward the center of the street (but not over the centerline) by means of curbing or other physical barriers and then moving back toward the curb. The lanes are wide enough for commercial trucks to pass through.

The physical barriers could be nothing more complicated than large potted plants, half along the curbs and the rest in the center of the street. One of the Phoenix chicanes was created by sinking T-posts into the asphalt and topping them with white reflectors.

I have driven through a couple of the chicanes myself and they definitely cause traffic to slow without the bone-jarring jolt of a speed bump.

For more about traffic calming, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_calming

BTW, the chicanes pictured in the Wikipedia article are nothing like the ones used here in Phoenix.

DennisB8 (Florida)
Posts: 7

Posted:

We had the same problem in our community here in South Florida. We installed some additional stop signs on our major thru street, painted double yellow lines on the same street, repainted all our stop bars, and painted new crosswalks. All of these were recommended by a traffic engineer to "calm traffic". It seems to have worked. We also put out "Slow 25 mph" and "Full Stop at Stop Sign" signs on A-Frame barricades from time to time. This also has helped. Last year we tried a radar sign loaned by our local police department - waste of time and effort. The only way you can fine for speeding in a closed community is to hire private guards who have been trained with radar guns & those guns have to be periodically calibrated. We were going to do that but the traffic calming has precluded that effort. Another local community used speed bumps on a temporary basis. They told the residents that if the speeding stopped they would be removed. It worked !!

Good Luck !!
Dennis - Port St. Lucie, FL

RalphR1 (Colorado)
Posts: 10

Posted:

Some good suggestions, thanks. The stop sign idea is intriguing, since we currently have no such signage on our only through street. Have these stop signs caused additional intrusive vehicle noise such as braking and acceleration? Because our development is located in a scenic foothill area, the Board is opposed to any speed mitigation they feel would detract from the beauty and quiet of our setting. For example, chicanes might be an option, but only if they could be designed in a way to complement the natural environment. Thanks again. This forum has been helpful in compiling useable ideas for speed mitigation.

RalphR1 (Colorado)
Posts: 10

Posted:

LarryB13 (Arizona)
Posts: 4,099

Posted:

Ralph:

I am attaching a drawing of a chicane used in Phoenix. Traffic can be diverted by curbs, T-posts, planters, or even just painted stripes. The important part is to keep the lanes wide enough to allow commercial and emergency vehicles to pass through. I like these devices as they slow traffic without shaking your fillings loose.

LarryB13 (Arizona)
Posts: 4,099

Posted:

OK, I tried to attach the drawing.

Here is a link to the chicane diagram.

Or try this: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v698/lbullis/chicane.jpg

RalphR1 (Colorado)
Posts: 10

Posted:

Nicely done. Thanks! The divided sections of our main road would probably not be wide enough (20 feet)to accommodate that type of chicane, but we do have some un-divided stretches that might qualify. With large planter pots of flowers or decorative boulders as a part of the chicane, this could possibly work in our development.

LarryB13 (Arizona)
Posts: 4,099

Posted:

Ralph,

You can experiment with this idea by setting up some parked cars (or shopping carts) in a vacant parking lot.

I have driven through several of these chicanes in Phoenix and found that they are quite effective at keeping traffic speeds at a reasonable level. All of the ones that I am aware of are on two-lane streets in residential neighborhoods.

DennisB8 (Florida)
Posts: 7

Posted:

Ralph

The stop signs have not caused any additional noise from braking or acceleration. And, no one complained about them or the striping.

RalphR1 (Colorado)
Posts: 10

Posted:

Good to know that another HOA has implemented stop signs that were successful in reducing speeding. We have one intersection where cars come flying down a hill going 40 to 50 in a 30mph zone. A stop sign there would be of great benefit to pedestrians, as there is a crosswalk, and to other motorists at the two side streets at that intersection.

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