By Dedra Cordle
Staff Writer
Three months ago, Mayor Joseph Barnes Sr. asked the village of Urbancrest council members to look into installing multiple four-way stops signs in order to combat the continuing speeding issues in the community.
His request called for the installation of a four-way stop sign on First Avenue and Augustus Drive and First Avenue and Wallace Lane. Additional stops signs were proposed at Central Avenue and Augustus Drive and Central Avenue and Wallace Lane.
Barnes said the four-way stop signs were needed at these locations due to repeated sightings of motorists plowing through the lone stop signs.
“We have to be conscientious of the children that live and play in this area, as well as the bike riders, pedestrians and the elderly that walk these streets,” he said during a council meeting.
Members of the Health and Safety Committee said they would look into the proposal during their upcoming meeting.
Last month, the committee reported their findings at the regularly scheduled council meeting. The committee said that while the speeding issue is important and needs to be addressed, they are uncertain as to whether the posting of additional four-way stop signs would quell the problem.
Kenneth Skeaton, the chairman of the committee, said the problem at those intersections could be solved with enforcement of the current law rather than installing additional traffic signs.
“We can do legislative legwork to combat the issues, but if the enforcement is not there it just becomes another sign,” he said.
Though law enforcement officers often patrol the area, Barnes said they cannot be there all the time. He said he believes that by posting the four-way stop signs at those locations, the village would see an immediate impact in regards to the speeding issue around the railroad tracks.
Councilwoman Veronica Shepherd said she was in favor of the four-way stop signs, as was councilman S. Henry Warr.
Shepherd recommended that the committee invite a representative with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to come to one of their meetings to have a discussion about the enforcement of existing laws.
The matter regarding the four-way stop signs will continue to be discussed, said council members.
Councilwoman and committee member Alicia Wiggins also said she would like the council to look into including more speed bumps throughout the village.
“People might think twice about flying through if something could potentially do damage to their car,” she said.
The committee said they could do a feasibility study regarding the cost and other issues surrounding additional speed bumps in the village.
