Lake Magdalene: Homeowners are divided on speed humps for boulevard
A fatal crash amplifies concerns about Lake Magdalene Boulevard.
By RICK GERSHMAN
Published August 27, 2004
LAKE MAGDALENE - Carol Didier can't forget the Saturday evening in May when two teenage girls were killed.
The SUV crash occurred a couple of doors down from her home on Lake Magdalene Boulevard, just south of Smitter Road.
"I didn't know the girls, and I feel terrible for them," Didier said Tuesday night. "I don't ever want to see anybody die around my house again."
She was one of about two dozen homeowners who aired their concerns at a public hearing Tuesday at the Buchanan Middle School cafeteria.
The hearing, which drew close to 100 people, allowed homeowners to ask questions and state their views about fast driving, speed limit enforcement, sidewalks, street lighting and other traffic-related matters along Lake Magdalene Boulevard.
Concerns gained momentum after the deaths of Naomi Tidwell and Tiffany Tripp, 16-year-old sophomores who were honor students at Chamberlain High. Another girl was injured. Police said Tidwell tried to pass another vehicle "at a high rate of speed" when she lost control of her 2001 Ford Explorer, which crashed into a tree.
On Tuesday, numerous homeowners told traffic engineer Angelo Rao that speeding along that stretch is a constant problem. Although many indicated they do not like the idea of speed humps, several also acknowledged that they might be necessary.
Some are affected more directly than others. Jeremy Gaies said that twice, cars have lost control on the boulevard and ended up on his front lawn. One knocked over a telephone pole; the other clipped a tree and ended up 5 feet from his front door.
While called by one name, Lake Magdalene Boulevard has two sections that do not connect. Separating the spots where the northern and southern stretches intersect with Bearss Avenue are about 1,500 feet and two other intersections, one with its own traffic light (at Lake Emerald Drive).
The south portion is an oft-used north-south shortcut from Bearss to Fletcher Avenue. It's a straight shot except for a four-way stop at Smitter (Sunny Shores Drive on the east side) that many drivers roll through, homeowners said. When traveling south from Smitter, Lake Magdalene curves left about 45 degrees and continues into a long straightaway to Fletcher.
The north portion winds north from Bearss and then east around Platt Lake, cuts south briefly and then goes east again, terminating at Florida Avenue N. This winding stretch first was considered a priority for traffic control by the county. But the fatal SUV crash and the grievances that followed prompted the county to include the southern portion in the process.
Martin Bearss, whose family has lived in the area for more than a century, lives on the boulevard near the site of the fatal crash. He spoke against speed humps, saying they could endanger residents by slowing down emergency vehicles.
That issue split the speakers about evenly. Bob Nixon, who lives on the north stretch, contended there is "no way to stop the speeding unless there's some physical obstruction there. The drivers do not care. I think anything short of a physical obstruction is a waste of money."
Robert Hockensmith of Cherry Creek Drive disagreed, saying: "Let's get aggressive law enforcement. If they're violating the law, let's make them pay."
Tuesday's assembly was the first step in gathering public opinions. Rao, the traffic engineer, said the homeowners' comments will be incorporated into "a plausible conceptual plan" that he will bring back for discussion in about 60 days.
A traffic-calming plan could include speed bumps and humps, roundabouts or partial road closings, Rao said. Speed bumps could be installed in as little as three months, roundabouts in nine to 12 months. More intensive alterations could take longer.
