Flower Hill residents concerned over speeding on Ridge Dr. East

Rose Weldon
The exit from Ridge Drive East to Northern Boulevard. (Photo courtesy of Google Maps)

Speed is on the minds of Ridge Drive East residents in Flower Hill.

Harry Anderson, a 43-year resident and member of the village’s first traffic committee, rose to discuss cars speeding down the road, which runs parallel to Northern Boulevard, during the public comment session of the Flower Hill Board of Trustees’ meeting on Dec. 2.

“As a resident for 43 years on Ridge Drive East, I’ve seen the traffic there escalate,” Anderson said. “I mean, this is not the first time I’ve been to the board to talk about it. We need a solution.”

Village Trustee Frank Genese, who also lives on the street, agreed with the residents, saying that the issue was “ridiculous” and “out of control,” and called the street’s five stop signs “useless.”

Anderson made a number of suggestions, including that the village put a counter car there to see how many cars are going down the road, place a speed trap just outside of the street’s entrance to gauge speed.

“People will hit that stop sign, and then once they hit it, zoom,” Anderson said.

When asked directly by Genese, Anderson then gave a solution that he and his neighbors thought of.

“The solution, and my neighbors will support this, is to put up two speed bumps,” Anderson said. “That’s how you’re going to slow them down.”

“Speed bumps carry tremendous liability, they’re a problem to maintain,” Genese replied. “If a car hits a speed bump and loses control, it’s a huge liability to the village. I don’t think speed bumps are effective in reducing traffic or making people stop at stop signs.”

Anderson said that he and his neighbors would not mind speed bumps.

“Have you ever lived in front of a speed bump?” Genese said. “All you’re going to hear is ‘thump-thump’ constantly. It’s going to drive you crazy.”

A man in the audience who did not identify himself during the public comment period and later gave his name as Frank when interviewed by Blank Slate Media, then spoke.

“Better than having a car going 60 [miles per hour] with my 11 and six-year-olds playing on the front lawn,” Frank said. “To me, I can’t accept that as an answer. It could be, ‘thump-thump’ and be my 11-year-old.”

The board said they would look into traffic engineers and quotes on the issue, but will not look into speed bumps due to the various other problems they cause.

“The problem from Northern Boulevard, Center Drive, Ridge Drive East, Woodland to Cherrywood out to Port Washington Boulevard, is one continuous problem,” Genese said. “It’s speed, it’s failure to yield, and it’s failure to stop at stop signs. It’s more than a couple of speed bumps.”

Share this Article