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Burton goes slow on lower speed limit
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - February 25, 2010)
Burton goes slow on lower speed limit
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Burton Village Council put the brakes on legislation Monday that would have reduced the speed along North Cheshire Street.
The legislation, which would have cut the speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph from Village Square to Goodwin Avenue, was left on the table without introduction after hearing from Police Chief Rick Smigelski.
The legislation, proposed by Councilman Jeff Coleman in December, was on the agenda for a first reading. Without introducing the legislation, it could not move forward. Mr. Coleman was absent from the meeting.
Councilman Craig Ronyak asked that council not take action on the legislation until Mr. Smigelski completes a speed study of the entire village.
Mr. Ronyak expressed reservations about the legislation, questioning whether the short span of road allows for vehicles to gain speed there.
His position was supported by Councilman Gerald Rouge, who said there is "no evidence" at this point to show there's a problem with speeding there.
Mr. Smigelski, during his regular report to council, said he had the opportunity to borrow a device that could track the speeds of vehicles, which he hopes to use for a speed study. "It's the only accurate way of looking at it," he said.
Mr. Smigelski said he has been hearing that speeding is rampant in the village and that police are failing to do their job in curtailing it. He said the machine he plans to use for his study is owned by South Russell Village, and officials there have indicated they would be willing to lend it to Burton at no cost.
He said he intended to use the machine on every street in the village to gauge just how fast vehicles are traveling. The machine can not only record the speed of every vehicle, but it also can track the time those vehicles are passing by. He said that will allow police to look at how fast vehicles are traveling during peak times, usually the times of highest volumes.
Mr. Smigelski said he hopes to get the machine when the weather turns nicer, possibly by April, to begin the study. He said he planned to keep the machine on each street for a 24-hour period.
At the conclusion, Mr. Smigelski said, he would prepare a report for council so they can gauge whether the village has a problem with speeding.
Mr. Coleman made the request for reduced speed along North Cheshire Street in response to an accident that his son was involved in. He estimated that a vehicle that struck his son's car might have been going 60 mph, because after the collision, it did not stop for another 250 feet.
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