Commissioners hear calls to study speed cushions after residents report speeding in Cumberland Estates
Summary
Commissioner Buffalini urged the board to study installing speed cushions in Cumberland Estates after witnessing multiple drivers run stop signs and speed through neighborhoods. Vice Mayor McDonald recommended commissioning a traffic engineer study to evaluate design, emergency-vehicle impacts and liability before any installation.
Commissioners discussed traffic safety and speed-control measures for Fairview neighborhoods Thursday after Commissioner Buffalini reported multiple speeding incidents in Cumberland Estates and urged action.
“Preventing injury to a child is far more important than the goal of preserving…the trucks right now, honestly,” Commissioner Buffalini said, describing instances where drivers repeatedly exceeded speed limits and three ran stop signs. She asked the city to re-examine traffic calming, including speed cushions, and to weigh emergency-response implications.
Vice Mayor McDonald said he is not opposed to speed cushions but recommended the city hire a traffic engineer to evaluate options and potential liability for emergency apparatus. “If that's something that we want to consider, we should probably consider putting as an agenda item to call upon a traffic engineer to look into that,” he said.
Commissioners discussed visibility issues at stop signs hidden by trees and asked staff to investigate options that balance emergency response times with neighborhood safety. No formal motion or funding was made; the board requested that staff bring back possible next steps and a scope for engineering work.
