After a traffic study commissioned by the Town of Bethlehem found it was most likely residents themselves who are speeding within Haswell Farms and the Enclave, a neighborhood meeting was held in an effort to raise awareness about the issue.
Town officials hosted the neighborhood meeting at Town Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Nearly 100 people were in attendance and participated in brainstorming sessions to discuss which options would be most suitable for residents of the two housing developments.
“I think we got a lot of good feedback from residents and positive comments about how to fix the problem,” said Supervisor John Clarkson after the meeting.
Planning Director Rob Leslie first brought the issue before the Town Board in October after residents complained about the speeding over the summer. The initial thought had been people living outside the community had been using the small roads of the two housing developments as short cuts, and people were speeding through to save time.
One of the major traffic problems for the area is the two neighborhoods have only one exit road. Leslie said more roads are planned, but development needs to continue. He said the planning board would never approve developments with only one access road because it could create a problem for emergency vehicles, but building out took longer then expected.
Residents had complained of major traffic problems because of the speeding, and some felt their children were not safe playing outside. A traffic officer and a speed trailer were both set up in the area to monitor the situation.
Eventually the town agreed to pay for an independent study to be done by traffic consultants. Automatic Traffic Recorders were used to collect data on vehicle volume and speed.
The data was collected from Nov. 4 through Nov. 13 at four points along Hasgate Drive, Forsten Drive and Harvest Ridge Road. Many were found to be speeding on Hasgate Drive between Barrington and Reynolds Court, with the highest speeds of 38 mph northbound and 36 mph southbound. The posted speed is 30 mph.
The study found that the volume of traffic is “consistent with the levels that would be anticipated with the size of these neighborhoods and with the local street function.” This means it is unlikely other vehicles are cutting through the neighborhood, and neighborhood residents are likely causing the majority of the issues.
Leslie and Clarkson said the town was prepared to spend some money to help fix the problems. An immediate solution suggested would be to install signs telling people to slow down. Other suggestions included installing some traffic humps, a speed radar, or painting lines onto the roads to give the appearance the width is even smaller.
Those in attendance were asked to split into four groups and discuss the option they liked best. The groups would then reconvene for questions.
With such a large number of people, it was hard for participants to decide which option would work best. Some like the idea of speed humps, while others did not want one placed in front of their own homes because they feared the noise would be distracting. Many liked the idea of speed radars, but wanted more than one or a camera attached so speeders could be ticketed.
At the end of the meeting, a large number of people were still not satisfied with the town’s recommendations.
One woman demanded the town should pay to build a new connection road. Others wanted certain roads to be designated one-way streets. This would essentially prevent many Enclave residents from driving though Haswell Farms and vice versa.
“That’s not something the Town can consider,” said Clarkson. “It would not be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, which recommends a connected street network. It would also be unfair to those who need to travel the road.”
Several people said they felt too many people were jogging or letting their kids play in the road, and the speed of cars was fine. Some at the meeting said the numbers of cars on the roads were the main issue, and when purchasing their homes they were told the nearby land would remain forever wild.
Clarkson said at the meeting people should not take stock in the things said by realtors and army recruiters, and a number of meetings were held in the 1990s for people to make their concerns known.
During rush hour on a recent Friday, very few cars were on the road within the two housing developments. One jogger was seen running in the road, while a few people were seen speeding. The town had once again placed an officer in a patrol car to monitor the situation and change where he was parked in order to catch speeders if necessary.
Clarkson said the town is willing to spend between $5,000 and $10,000 to help remedy the traffic issues in the area. He said he hopes the town can try a variety of options that way they will be better prepared if the issue arises in other neighborhoods.