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EVE LEBERSONA petition will soon be circulating in Mountain Springs to install speed humps, but not everyone likes that idea.
NORTHDALE - There's only one thing LaVon Dormeyer hates more than speed humps - cars racing down her street.
For years, Dormeyer has complained about vehicles racing east down Mountain Springs Lane to get to Braesgate Lane.
"We've got kids. We've got pets. We've got old people," said Dormeyer, who owns a home in the Gables I subdivision. "All (the speeders) have to do is lose control or swerve to avoid something . . . It's just frightening."
So Dormeyer sought the county's help. It's her second attempt. The first one ended three years ago after a traffic study concluded there were no speeding problems. But results from a January traffic study have county officials more concerned.
"Speeds are higher than we'd like to see" on Mountain Springs Lane, said residential traffic calming hearing master Jerry Dabkowski at a public meeting Monday night. Six Mountain Springs Lane homeowners attended the meeting with county representatives to discuss possible traffic calming solutions on the 25 mph road.
"We have some (vehicles) in excess of 55 mph," said Dabkowski. "That's a real concern . . . It's a very short road. It's not designed for that kind of speed."
Traffic calming options included a roundabout, a concrete diverter, or changing Mountain Springs Lane to a one-way street. The five homeowners who attended the meeting could also choose selective enforcement, which could include speeding trailers - digital signs that show drivers how fast they're going.
But Dabkowski said the best way to curb speeding is speed humps. "They are designed to keep you at 25 mph or less," he said. "And we space those so no one can race in between them."
Each hump - a 31/2-foot by 10-foot sloped rise in the road - costs about $650 and is paid for by the county's gasoline tax fund.
Dabkowski recommended that three speed humps be placed between Farnsworth and Braesgate lanes. The devices are already used on nearby Dellbrook Drive.
"I hate to drive over humps, too," said Dormeyer, who's lived on Mountain Springs for 13 years. "But I'd rather drive over humps than watch (a neighbor) get hit by a car."
Homeowner Jerri Danowit likes the idea of speed humps on Mountain Springs. Her children can't ride their bikes on the street, she said.
"It's not that we get a ton of speeders," said Danowit at Monday's hearing. "But we get speeders that are scary, that can run you over."
Not all were happy with Dabkowski's recommendation. "I think our first consideration should be some kind of passive enforcement before we go out and make an expenditure on something like speed humps," said homeowner David Queen.
A petition will soon be sent to Mountain Springs property owners. Ninety percent of the 19 homeowners must sign the petition, with at least 60 percent voting in favor of the speed humps. If returned within 90 days, Dabkowski will make his recommendation to county commissioners, who will have the final say.
- Eve Leberson can be reached at 813 269-5302 or leberson@sptimes.com