The City of Astoria’s planned purchase of traffic speed monitoring devices is a waste of taxpayers’ money. The first of these pole-mounted speed monitoring signs is planned for 16th Street. The cost of each device is over $6,000 (plus installation costs). The devices display the speed of passing vehicles, and have a data recorder to collect speed information.

 

With both the City of Astoria and the State strapped for cash, it is a shame that taxpayer dollars will be spent on unnecessary passive monitoring devices. ODOT is being asked to fund $4,000 for the first device, with the balance paid by the City of Astoria.

 

Astoria already has a portable device that displays the speed of passing vehicles. Money does not need to be spent to collect data. The risk to Astoria’s citizens from speeding vehicles in residential neighborhoods and on collector/arterial routes in Astoria is obvious and well-documented:

 

·        Communications from the Astoria Police Department (APD) document that by policy and practice, the APD does not issue speeding citations in 25 MPH zones until speeds reach or exceed 35 MPH.

 

·        An APD vehicle speed survey in August 2006 documented that the APD allows vehicle speeds of up to 35 MPH on 16th Street (25 MPH zone) before a citation will be considered.

 

·        Hundreds of citizen complaints are documented in a signed petition being collected by Astorians For Liveable Neighborhoods (ALN) that asks the City Council to address the vehicle speeding problem in residential areas.

 

·        An APD traffic speed project in October 2006 documented numerous instances of speeds in the 30-35 MPH range on 16th Street that were not cited by the APD. During one 110 minute period, an officer observed 24 vehicles traveling between 30 & 34 MPH and two traveling between 35-40 MPH.

 

·        A March 2007 citizen review of speeding citations issued by the APD during a fourteen month period documented that of the 253 speeding citations issued, only 11 citations (less than one citation per month) were issued in residential areas or along collector/arterial routes other than 7th Street. In residential areas, the average vehicle speed recorded on citations was over 40 MPH.

 

·        A May 2007 letter from City Engineer Richardson to ODOT stated: “Between 2001 and 2005, there were 22 collisions on 16th Street”.

 

APD’s lax policy on enforcing speed limits has created a hardcore group of people who routinely speed through Astoria’s streets. Drivers are not afraid to speed along Astoria’s residential streets and collector routes because there is little chance of being cited. The solution to the vehicle speeding problem is not data collection but active enforcement of laws.

 

ALN can be reached at 503-298-0608 or aln-info@earthlink.net.