Drivers that speed on public roads can create a problem for more than just the police. In suburbs and on residential streets, speeding can pose a real safety danger and that fear has led a couple to take matters into their own hands. After officials told them that their request for a speed bump was denied, they put one down themselves.
Corey Starkey of O’Fallon, Missouri says that he asked the city to install a speed bump on his street. According to him, there’s too much traffic, and that traffic drives too quickly down his road for him to feel safe letting his kids play in the street. The city denied him so he bought his own.
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The pair of rubber speed bumps he uses are portable so he puts them out when his kids are playing in the street and says he removes them when the kids are in the house. In addition to the bumps, he puts up cones and additional signs to encourage drivers to slow down.
According to Tony Michalka, spokesperson for the city of O’Fallon, the speed bumps don’t fly. “It is illegal, you cannot put anything, any third-party measures out into the roadways… to impede traffic,” he says. Starkey seems to understand that and just does not care. “You come through here, we’re gonna slow you down,” he told FOX 2 News.
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It’s also worth noting that while speed bumps are generally considered to be safe traffic control devices, that’s not actually always true. In fact, last year we covered how poorly constructed or ill-placed speed bumps can in fact create a major safety hazard. While the one here doesn’t seem to be a danger it’s still anything but legal.
How city officials handle this situation is yet to be seen. It’s possible that they could reconsider Starkey’s request or they may cite him for the illegal act. Where do you fall on this issue? Let us know in the comments below.