Warrior council tables decision on removing speed breakers
Published 8:31 pm Monday, September 17, 2012
The relationship between neighbors along a street in Warrior has hit a bump in the road — over a bump in the road.
Pat Kennedy, a resident of Asberry Road on the city’s east side, presented a petition to the Warrior City Council at its regular meeting Monday night. The petition asked the council to remove speed breakers that were installed on the street only three months before, as well as another set which have been in place for several years.
“There are 32 houses along that road, and I have 51 signatures from them asking that the breakers be removed,” Kennedy said. “I’ve been living there 66 years, and I can’t remember a time I’ve had to call the police about speeders.”
After the resident who originally requested the breakers objected to the proposed removal, the council voted to table the issue until their next meeting. Of particular concern was any liability the city might face if the breakers were removed, and then someone was injured by a speeding vehicle later. That concern prompted councilman Jimmy Jett to ask outgoing mayor Rena Hudson to consult with city attorneys.
Angela Humphreys was the resident who originally asked for the most recent set of breakers, which are placed in front of her house.
“If they remove the breakers and one of my children is hurt, I will file a lawsuit against the city,” Humphreys said.
Another neighbor, Roy Tapscott, wants the breakers to stay. “I have to drive over them to get out of my driveway, and it doesn’t bother me at all. If you’re driving the speed limit, it won’t bother you at all. If people drove the speed limit, there wouldn’t be any need for this at all.”
The speed limit for Asberry Road is 25 miles per hour. It’s a dead-end street, which turns south off Trafford Road, turns eastward at an intersection with Seventh Street, turns south again and then east again before its end.
Police Chief Ray Horn said the street had not seen an unusual number of speeders over the years. “It’s patrolled, and it’s a dead-end street, but there are a lot of kids along it. We’ll take a look at it and see if there’s a problem,” Horn said.
The issue was the only significant item of business on the council’s agenda Monday.
[Editor’s note: Updated at 3:05 p.m. Tuesday to correct a quote.]