Concerns raised over speeding on Race Street

Residents of Race Street in downtown Jim Thorpe say that some drivers are taking the street’s name too seriously.

They would like the borough to install speed bumps to discourage speeders.

More than 30 residents recently submitted a petition to Jim Thorpe borough council requesting speed bumps to slow traffic in their neighborhood. A handful of them spoke at a council meeting last week.

Residents like Mike Williams, a retired state trooper, say drivers don’t react well when they tell them to slow down.

“Every one of us has been cursed at, sworn at, swerved at because we’re walking down the street where there’s no sidewalk. We need your help,” he said.

Race Street is a one-way street which parallels Broadway. The residents said drivers often use it as a shortcut to avoid waiting at a red light at the Hazard Square intersection. Pam Armstrong of Race Street said cars descending the Opera House hill will stop briefly at the intersection and then speed onto Race Street around a blind corner where there is no sidewalk.

She said very few drivers observe the 15 mph speed limit on Race Street.

Armstrong said she’s concerned about pedestrians walking, as well as dog walkers and a Race Street business where patrons often use hula hoops.

“Someone is bound to get killed by a car flying around the corner and down the street,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong said the problem is the same year-round, regardless of whether there is a large number of tourists in town.

Enforcing the speed limit is impossible on Race Street, Williams said, because it’s too short and narrow for a speed trap. He said there’s nowhere for an officer to sit or pull over a vehicle.

“We’re just asking for an alternate way to slow people down,” he said.

Resident Ben Walbert said he used to hear from officials that speed bumps weren’t allowed in downtown areas, but more recently he’s seen them in Allentown.

His wife, Carole, a local attorney, said the intersection could leave the borough open to lawsuits. She said the street is currently handling a lot more traffic than it was designed to handle.

“This is not the Race Street of our youth. It’s not even the Race Street of our middle age. It’s a very heavily trafficked street now,” she said.

Council was responsive to the residents’ concerns.

Councilwoman Edie Lukasevich said she believes that the speeding is something the borough needs to address.

“I went over and parked by one of the garages there. I think something needs to be done about the speeding,” she said.

Councilman Jay Miller said he supports looking into speed bumps on Race Street. He said he’s learned from two recent bad crashes on Center Avenue that changing drivers’ behavior is a nearly impossible task.

At Miller’s recommendation council agreed to look into the speed bumps and what signs they would need to put up to install them.

He told the petitioners in the meantime to yell at the speeders who put them in danger.

Borough Manager Maureen Sterner and Councilwoman Joanne Klitsch said they disagreed with that idea, because it could lead to more problems.

“I’m going to yell at them,” Miller said.