Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. A Mount Pleasant community is now one step closer to having speed bumps built on a dangerous route.
“We want to protect the pedestrians in our community,” said David Mariner, an Oaks at Marsh View resident. “This is about the safety of the public. So, it is about doing the right thing.”
Residents of the Oaks at Marsh View have been seeking for years to get traffic countermeasures installed on Mossy Branch Way, which they believe is used as a cut-through.
Following a close call with two moms and their children in September, members of the community addressed the town council in October, asking elected officials for assistance.
At Monday’s Transportation Committee meeting, statistics from six different traffic studies completed since 2017 were presented. To be eligible for the town’s Traffic Calming Program, an area must meet the minimum standards of a traffic and speed study and have the majority of neighbors sign a petition.
The studies given to the committee missed the requisite minimum speed threshold of 85% of drivers exceeding the legal speed limit by 5 miles per hour (25 mph).
Councilmembers and members of the Homeowners’ Association (HOA) believe the studies fell short of the standards because the area of concern was a small stretch of roadway.
After hearing petitions from residents and HOA members, the committee decided to waive the speeding restrictions, tasked the HOA with getting 75% of neighbors to sign the petition.
“It was important to listen to the community, visit the community as I did, walk it with them, and see what their issues were,” said Mike Tinkey, a town councilmember. “They were interested not only in traffic slowing, but also in overall livability. However, this was an important issue because it became a thoroughfare for the area. We intended to install speed bumps and do anything else we could to reduce traffic congestion, and I believe we succeeded.”
Tinkey said that after the necessary signatures are obtained, the town should be able to fulfill the request within a few months.
“I think there is enough support. I am really optimistic. “We’ll get there,” Mariner remarked. “I think we’re going to get there, and I think we’re going to protect the community and the kids and the neighbors around us.”
