CENTERBURG — Centerburg village council members are weighing new traffic safety measures along Croton Road and Hartford Avenue after multiple incidents of speeding, near-misses and a recent fatal crash near White Road.
Croton Road resident Alex Fogle on Monday urged council to lower the speed limit and increase law enforcement on a stretch of road just outside the village limits.
He is especially concerned in light of increased traffic a proposed subdivision would generate.
“I’d like to see the speed limit lowered to 25 miles per hour out to the second bridge,” Fogle told the council. “I was on that fatality this weekend. I see people run off the road all the time.”
Council members approved annexing 56.6 acres on Croton Road into the village. Although it will come into the village zoned Estate Residential, meaning only one house is allowed, the developer has said plans call for a 92-home subdivision.
The village sets speed limits within its boundaries. Once the village annexes the land, it will control the speed limit on the west side of Croton Road heading toward Croton.
Village Administrator Richard Dzik said it is likely the village can set the speed limit on its portion to 25 mph, the same as Hartford Avenue.
“We could certainly talk to the commissioners about [lowering the speed limit on their side of the road],” he said.
Fogle said law enforcement presence in the village ends around 3 p.m. He questioned whether the village can apply revenue from a proposed New Community Authority to expanding patrol hours by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
Dzik said public safety, with a focus on law enforcement, is one of the allowable activities the village is trying to work into its NCA petition.
He also said village officials have discussed forming its own police department.
Traffic-calming devices on Hartford Avenue
Councilman Don Wallace said several senior residents asked for strategically placed speed humps coming into the village on South Hartford Avenue.
Dzik was concerned about snow plows tearing up the speed humps and potential replacement issues.
Mayor Greg Myers noted rubber humps are a potential option.
Councilman Rusty Griffith suggested installing stop signs on Hartford at the Dally Street and Landrum Avenue intersections.
“Also, if you’re driving a semi, a grain truck in and out of town, and you have to stop at two random stop signs in the middle of Hartford Avenue, you might go a different route,” he said. “So it’s kind of a win-win, and it eliminates the maintenance hassles of speed bumps.”
Councilwoman Julie Pruett Bishop said another dangerous spot is southbound on Johnsville Road/Ohio 314 approaching the bike path crossing.
Dzik will talk with the county engineer’s office about reducing the speel limit on Croton and research what other communities, including Galena, have done to calm traffic.
He also said the village will put the flashing sign indicating drivers’ speed out again on South Hartford Avenue.
