Drivers on Kemp Ave. Asked to Slow Down

Drivers heading past are being asked to slow down.

Residents on Kemp Ave. came to the meeting to ask for the speed limit on their road to be changed from 25 to 20 mph.

“While posted at 25, there’s twenty percent of people who go above 30 and sixty-five percent of cars go above the speed limit,” explained Cathy Goldin, a Kemp Ave. resident and concerned mother.

Goldin presented a proposal for the change to the council with the help of Dave Ferrarra.Their main concern is for students who travel to school each day via Kemp Ave. 

“Kemp has both Knollwood and Sickles students traveling on it,” said Goldin. “What 3^rd St. is to Knollwood, Kemp is to Sickles.”

Goldin said there are not nearly as many precautions for Kemp as there are for streets leading to Knollwood.

“3^rd street is actually closed during school hours and also has a reduced speed limit of 20 mph. Kemp Avenue is 25, it’s not closed, it does not have sidewalks the way Fair Haven Rd. does,” explained Goldin. “It has a ton of utility trucks, Fed-ex trucks, UPS trucks, so when these kids are riding to school, it is not safe.”

The neighborhood agrees. Over 60 residents on Kemp and the surrounding streets signed a petition stating they would support a speed limit change.

While the resident say they are concerned for students traveling to Sickles, they say a daytime precaution would not be enough.

“The highest traffic time is between 5-7 at night. That is when people are racing home from work and running to all their activities. Kids are still on their bikes, riding to and from the baseball fields on 3^rd St. to the middle school and grade school to go to their basketball and what not, so it is not just during school time.”

Goldin and Ferrarra sat down with the and decided that a reduced speed limit would be the best first step to slowing down traffic. Other options would be speed bumps and stop signs.

Sgt. Robert Townshend said a reduced speed limit for the road enforced with zero tolerance is the best option.

“The average speed on the road is 28.1 mph... By reducing the speed limit, it gives us the teeth we need to enforce the law. You can write a ticket for 8-9 miles over the speed limit a lot easier then 3 or 4,” said Townshend.

“We think given all these concerns, given the street conditions and given the precedent set for 3rd St., we think there is a valid point for lowering the speed limit on Kemp,” concluded Goldin.

The council took the presentation by the residents and police department into consideration and decided to present the changes for introduction at the next meeting on Monday, February 13 at 7:00 p.m. at .