Editor’s note: Below is a letter of petition sent to Brian Conlon, director of operations for the City of Springfield, signed by 44 residents on Centennial Boulevard between 21st and 28th streets, and submitted to The Chronicle.
Dear Editor:
As residents on Centennial Blvd. between 21st and 28th streets, we would like to bring to your attention a safety concern we have for our children, pets, and elderly neighbors.
On a daily basis, there are speeding cars going up and down our street, making it a hazard for our neighborhood, not to mention the resulting increased noise and exhaust fumes. After years of working with the City of Springfield to reduce the speed limit on our street to 30 mph, it seems this measure was not wholly successful. The police recently installed a temporary electronic speed monitor on our street so they have data to substantiate a pattern of speeders on Centennial. However, we know it is unreasonable to expect daily patrols, which is really only a temporary stopgap. As concerned residents of this neighborhood, it is imperative that this problem be addressed with a more permanent solution.
We suggest installing some form of traffic-calming measure like speed bumps. Our local fire chief stated that there are speed bumps that do not impede an emergency vehicle’s progress but will help slow local traffic. This would be our preference since it is permanent and not reliant on police patrols.
This has shown to be quite effective in reducing speeders in many areas, including thoroughfares, right-of-ways, and main arteries. A good example is the stretch on Daisy Street between 42nd and Bob Straub.
Thank you for engaging with us in helping make our neighborhood a safe place to live. We request you respond to our concerns in writing in order to know your thoughts and open a dialogue to further discuss the issue if necessary, as well as provide the progress of this project.
Please email Aloha Heart, our spokeswoman, at [email protected] with your response.
– Concerned Centennial Blvd. Neighbors
