About 60 percent of drivers are speeding on this Lacey street
A recent traffic study showed that 2,400 cars per day travel 57th Avenue Southeast, a residential street in Lacey east of Ruddell Road, and about 60 percent of those drivers exceed the 25 mph speed limit.
Resident Ron Stormer is not happy about it. Stormer addressed the Lacey City Council transportation committee in September and the committee revisited the topic on Oct. 4 to determine a way forward.
In September, Stormer said he was walking along Stockton Street near 57th one evening when a car suddenly approached at a speed he estimated at 50 mph.
“I gave the driver a hand signal to slow down, and he gave me a very different hand signal back,” he said.
Stormer said he doesn’t know if the answer to slowing traffic is bike lanes, more parking or altering curbs.
“I don’t know what else to do,” he said.
To advance the traffic calming process, the city needs support from the neighborhood in two ways: They need a petition of support to install temporary traffic calming devices on the street, and later, if the neighborhood wants to make those changes permanent, they need a neighborhood vote of property owners. Both steps require 60 percent support to advance, according to the city.
The question is how does the city determine the boundary of the neighborhood for the petition and potential vote.
That’s what the transportation committee wrestled with on Tuesday, finally deciding that a smaller boundary focused on the homes closest to 57th Avenue has the best chance of success.
“My personal opinion is that the larger district (neighborhood boundary) will fail,” said Public Works Director Scott Egger. “People who are most concerned are on 57th Avenue.”
The permanent solution to slowing traffic on 57th Avenue is the use of what the city calls “speed humps.” And in Lacey, if a neighborhood agrees to a permanent solution, those costs are split 50/50 between the city and the neighbors.
The early estimate for the cost of three speed humps is $25,000, or about $380 per property owner within the smaller boundary. For a larger boundary, those costs come down to $180 per property owner.
Another challenge: Engineering Transportation Manager Martin Hoppe said Stormer is now thinking about moving. If he moves, who will solicit input for the petition?
“We need a neighborhood champion,” City Manager Scott Spence said.
This story was originally published October 8, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
