This year, there has seen a new and unwelcome phenomenon in our small working class suburb: the a--hole in his (or sometimes her) fast car, flying down residential streets at better than 50 mph.
I've talked with the eldest in decreasing levels of frustrated humor about cobbling together our own spike strip for these jerks and their shiny coupes.
There are a lot of children around here, and we don't need this. The neighbors we have spoken to universally share our sentiment that these speeders need to go.
Well, apparently the phenomenon is shared throughout greater Detroit, and a city neighborhood tried to do something about it, raising funds to put in speed humps to deter the maniacs.
The City noted the presence of the humps...and swiftly removed them.
Of course.
"I couldn't believe it," said [resident Jim] Fracassa. "Earlier in the day, a neighbor said a city truck stopped and was taking pictures of our speed hump. I thought we'd better get ready to protect them tomorrow. But boom — they were there an hour later and started pulling them up."
Fracassa said parents have tried many times to request speed humps for the area.
"They had a thing you could fill out online and they talk about it all the time," he said. "Everybody wants it. We filled out the form saying we need this multiple times and multiple people. We spoke about it at some meetings, talked to our district rep about it — and nothing was getting done."
Naturally, the City issued a verbose statement failing to explain why the humps had to go, and said that while the City had a sad for them, the neighbors were out 2 grand.
City spokeswoman Nicole Simmons that while the situation is unfortunate, the residents will not be reimbursed.
"That does not mean that residents on Litchfield will not qualify in the future for appropriate speed cushions that are installed in accordance with required city specifications," Simmons said in an emailed statement.
She said the city is prioritizing speed humps in areas with high pedestrian traffic around schools and parks. In addition, she said that in order to receive a speed hump, the area must be a residential street with a 25 mph speed limit, daily traffic volumes between 200 to 1000 vehicles, police records of speeding and crashes, streets used as a "cut through" for main roads and support from residents.
So you have to have crashes before you qualify....there are no words.
Process and procedure over people--and we wonder why our cities are becoming unlivable.
We shouldn't.
They had money to remove them but no money to install them. Of course, since the residences installed them, it cost nothing to let them stay but that "can do" spirt can't be allowed. The City must have ALL power and control.
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