Brad Henderson who lives on the western side of West Linden said because of speeding vehicles he cannot let his 4-year-old son play in the front yard or ride his tricycle there, but instead must restrict him to a backyard patio.
“Where I live, by the time they get up that hill and get to the end I’m on, they’re zooming,” Henderson told council. “I mean, they’re absolutely going all hours of the day.”
Henderson said the increased police presence is appreciated, but is most likely not a permanent resolution to the problem. He asked council members to consider options to resolve these issues.
Eric Bachmann, who also lives on the western part of West Linden, close to Ohio 725, suggested creating turn lanes at the intersection of that road and Ohio 725 with both a left-hand turn for the westbound traffic and right-hand turn for eastbound traffic.
“No matter what we do, people are always going to speed … but when they’re going 70 in a 25 (mph zone), something needs to be done there by all of us, not just the city council or the police,” Bachmann said.
He suggested the city add lighted signs, rumble strips and speed bumps.
Cortney Hockett, who lives on Linden as the road slopes downward toward downtown Miamisburg, said motorists often use the residential road as a bypass to Ohio 725, but drive as if it were 725, driving “way too fast.”
“The speed is ridiculous,” she said. “There’s crotch rockets that do wheelies the entire way up the hill. We have been passed multiple times getting in and out of our driveway, (with) rude people running our bumpers and then flipping us off when we’re trying to get in or out of my driveway.”
Gene Turner, who detailed a Nov. 8 crash that occurred in front of his house, said vehicles travel Linden Avenue at high speed “all the time.”
“I don’t know what we can do about the volume of traffic, but the people that want to use it need to slow it down,,” he said.
Turner said eastbound motorists start out at the the top of the hill already exceeding the speed limit and likely are going far over it by the time they reach the railroad tracks at the bottom of it. He said delivery drivers and postal workers have expressed their concern about safety in the area.
Turner also thanked Miamisburg Councilman John Stalder for coming to speak with area residents in November.
City Manager Keith Johnson said Miamisburg officials are working to assess and address the situation.
Besides increasing police presence in an effort to change driving patterns, the city also will continue to consider long-term options and monitor a speed camera, Johnson said.
“That flashing sign that (is) out there, that’s also a camera, so we’re actually recording speeding even from that sign,” he said. “We (also) are looking at some additional signs, some flashing signs. The rumble strip idea is kind of interesting. We’ll take a look at what’s safe and what we can do out there, but … this roadway is on our radar.”
About the Author
