CINCINNATI — There’s a new plan to slow traffic down on a part of Columbia Parkway — speed humps.
The installation of the traffic-calming measures is underway in the Columbia-Tusculum business district in two different locations. The first is east of Stanley Avenue, near the Speedway gas station. The second is east of Delta Avenue, near The Precinct restaurant.
The speed limit is 25 miles per hour, but it’s no secret that people drive a lot faster.
Ron Tinkham, manager at Allyn’s Cafe, watches people speed by the restaurant daily. He said he regularly sees drivers speed by at 50 and 60 miles per hour.
He’s had two close calls crossing the street, he said.
“We've kind of got one [stoplight] at this light, and then one after this light to kind of slow traffic down,” Tinkham said.
Resident Charlie Dehussel was just hit riding his bicycle earlier this month.
“They drive like maniacs all the time,” he said.
The humps for the inner lanes will be ready for cars on Monday, installation crews said. Then they’ll begin work on the outer lanes, which will be ready by approximately the end of the week.
Cincinnati Department of Transportation and Engineering documents show the Columbia-Tusculum Community Council requested the speed humps. The department scored the project in the top 20 city-wide for pedestrian safety priorities.
Kyle Schrand has worked on over 100 speed hump installations across Cincinnati, including in his own neighborhood. He said slowly but surely, he saw a definitive positive impact.
“A lot of people just get upset about it,” he said. “But you know, they'll get used to it. And it's for the best.”
Resident Linda Neider acknowledges the area has a number of accidents and people speed, but is skeptical about whether speed humps will fully address the problem.
“Are you honestly gonna slow these people down? I don’t think you are,” she said. “These people are crazy, trust me. They’re going where they want to go. They’re gonna get there one way or another.”
To those people, Schrand from the installation crew has one message: slow down.
“Their car will feel it," he said. "Slow down.”
