OCEAN PINES – Police are monitoring speeding on Footbridge Trail following concerns voiced by a resident.
Police Chief David Massey said police would be reviewing speed data from Footbridge Trail following a citizen complaint. Longtime Footbridge Trail resident Susan Canfora approached the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors Saturday to ask for a lower speed limit on the street as well as a speed bump.
“It’s up to you to keep us safe,” she said. “I’m asking you to do something.”
Canfora said speeding had increased dramatically on the street during the last five years. The road, which connects Nottingham Lane and Ocean Parkway, is posted with a 25 mph speed limit.
“People launch, I mean launch, from either side,” Canfora said.
Though she’s voiced speeding concerns to police in the past, Canfora said this week’s plea came after a motorist hit her cat. She said the cat was sitting at the end of her driveway when the vehicle struck her. Though the cat will recover, Canfora is stuck with a $500 vet bill and the concern that a pedestrian will be the next victim.
“Something has got to be done,” she said. “Somebody’s going to get killed. I’m asking you to please take this seriously.”
Canfora said she was in the process of starting a petition to prove that neighborhood residents wanted to see the speed limit lowered to 15 mph.
In an interview Monday, Massey said he’d spoken to Canfora on several occasions and as a result had asked his officers to run radar in the area. Police have also put a radar display board on the street at various times.
“We have not found any speeding problems,” he said. “There have been no accidents. Ms. Canfora’s the only citizen that’s complained directly to us.”
Nevertheless, Massey said police had a new radar display board on the street that would record the speeds of vehicles passing by. After two weeks, Massey said he’d evaluate the data to determine how much of an issue speeding was on Footbridge.
He pointed out the speed limit is currently 25 mph, as it is on all of the side streets in the Pines. He said that was regulated by the state.
“In an urban area, 25 mph is the lowest you can post except in school zones,” he said.
As for the suggestion of a speed bump, Massey said that was not something he’d support.
“I’m never in favor of speed bumps because of liability reasons,” he said, adding that he didn’t want them to hinder emergency vehicles.
