East Carbon officials address speed limit concerns in Columbia

By Sun Advocate

At the regularly scheduled East Carbon City Council meeting, several local residents voiced concerns about a speed limit sign in Columbia.
Two 20 mile per hour signs located less than a block apart are reportedly being ignored by motorists who insist on speeding through the area.
The residents of Columbia who approached East Carbon officials described several instances of alleged hazardous driving and claimed some motorists are going as fast as 70 miles per hour in residential areas where there are children playing.
Some of the residents suggested increasing the speed limit to 35 mph, while others argued that it is dangerous to drive any faster than 20 miles per hour in certain areas.
Residents who wanted the posted limit increased maintained that it was unreasonable to expect drivers to travel down the steep hill toward Columbia at 20 mph, pointing out that the motorists had to apply the the brakes to stay at the lower speed.
The people who supported the increase also voiced the concern of climbing the hill in winter when it may be difficult to drive up the road at 20 miles per hour when it is wet or icy.
Residents who opposed the speed limit being increased insisted that certain areas were too dangerous to drive faster than 20 miles per hour.
The people who opposed the increase also voiced the opinion that advisory signs needed to be added to the area.
The signs would be placed alongside the roadway before the limit dropped to 20 from 55 miles per hour, warning drivers that the speed would reduce ahead.
Residents also explained the danger of children playing in or around the road, or riding their bikes to the park.
Some people in attendance at the East Carbon council meeting believed that it is just a matter of time before someone who is speeding hits a child.
Another idea stated by residents was the idea of having police patrol the area in question and start writing tickets to all of the residents who are speeding in the area. Some residents believe that fines might deter drivers from speeding if they may be caught and fined. An example of this was Wellington, where most residents don’t speed due to the strict speeding laws of the city.
Several residents of Columbia say that they recognize the drivers who are speeding through the area. Councilwoman Darlene Kuhns brought up the idea of signing complaints on all of the people that they know are speeding. Some residents voiced the opinion that signing complaints wouldn’t help anything, but insisted that they would try it anyway.
In residential areas, the speed limit is generally 25 miles per hour, but in the case of Columbia, the speed limit is only 20.
The issue was tabled by Dale Andrews, mayor of East Carbon who said that before anything could be done, he would need to talk to the police chief and have some studies done.
Also brought up by Columbia residents was the problem with congestion on a local street where neighbors are parking all of their cars on the street making it difficult to drive through the area. One resident insisted that only one car could drive on the street at a time and if another car came from the other direction, one has to pull over and let the other pass.
Also discussed at the city council meeting was the passing of Resolution #3-05, a resolution on consideration for and adoption of a Parameter Resolution. This would authorize the issuance of not to exceed $600,000 in Parity Sewer Revenue Bonds. This resolution passed unanimously.
A petition for a new fireman for East Carbon was also discussed by the city council. The city of East Carbon is currently short two firemen who need to be replaced as soon as possible. Applicants for this position would have to complete extensive training required by the state before going to work.