By Ray King
Slowing down speeding motorists, especially in residential neighborhoods is on the minds of members of the Pine Bluff City Council’s Traffic and Aviation Committee and they may have found a solution.
At a committee meeting held by Zoom Tuesday, committee chairman Council Member Joni Alexander brought up the idea of speed humps which she described as “temporary” that don’t damage tires or vehicles.
Regional Planner Larry Reynolds said it would be important for everyone in the particular neighborhoods that are affected to “get on board” with the idea.”
He said speed humps are made of recyclable rubber and would reduce speeds to 10 to 15 miles per hour in residential areas. Reynolds said he wouldn’t recommend their use in commercial areas, but they could be used to slow down traffic in areas where the street department is working doing resurfacing or overlay work.
Alexander asked Street Department Director Rick Rhoden to get more information on speed humps, particularly pricing and the cost of signage that would be necessary to warn motorists of the impending speed humps.
Council Member Ivan Whitfield, who is a member of the committee, described the “speed humps as a good idea” while Council Member Steven Shaner said speeding is an area “he thinks needs to be addressed.”
On another subject, Rhoden reported that he is working on getting prices on a project to overlay Cherry Street from 6th Avenue to 28th Avenue.
