Police, Council Discuss Speeding in Residential Neighborhoods

During Tuesday night’s town council meeting Herndon Police Lt. Jerry Keys gave a presentation on speeding in residential neighborhoods.

The goal of the Herndon Police Department is to have a user friendly, formal system for residents to file complaints of speeding, and to communicate the results of the response to the public, Keys said. He said the police department wants to have a way to address the complaints efficiently.

Keys said many state and local jurisdictions have procedures for addressing speeding complaints and if necessary implementing traffic calming measures. The police department recommends that the town do the same and implement its own procedure.

The most recent complaints from Herndon residents have been on Worchester Street, Old Hunt Way, Van Buren Street, Summerfield Drive, Missouri Avenue, and Alabama Drive, Keys said. All these roads have a speed limit of 25 miles per hour.

Police completed speed studies on these roads over a 48-hour period. The results found that 85 percent of the drivers on these roads were traveling at 34 miles per hour or slower, with many of them being slower. The highest average speed on these roads was 28 miles per hour, on northbound Worchester and eastbound Alabama Drive at Virginia Avenue.

Councilman Jasbinder Singh asked about what types of traffic calming measures could be used, suggesting grooved areas in the roads much like on the sides of highways.

Councilwoman Grace Wolf said she would like to see a listing of different options for traffic calming measure that range from easiest and most inexpensive to more extensive options.

Keys said they hope to do just that and also have guidelines available for what type of traffic calming measure to implement under certain sets of circumstances.

Council members Bill Tirrell and Lisa Merkel said they have noticed that signage can work well in some places in town, including neighborhoods around Crestview Drive and on a couple blocks between Elden and Locust streets near Herndon Middle School.

Police now plan to come up with a set of guidelines, after that they will be made public. At that point they’ll provide information to Herndon residents about how to use the process and make complaints about speeding in residential neighborhoods.

VanBuren NB/First

Worchester SB