NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) – New Albany city leaders are trying to figure out how to keep drivers from speeding on a busy downtown street.
Electronic speed signs are meant to help with that. If you’re driving 5 mph over the 25 mph speed limit on Spring Street from State Street to Vincennes Street, you’re told to slow down.
“I don't really think that deters people from going any slower or abiding by the speed limit,” said Alexas Gregory, who spends a lot of time in downtown New Albany.
On Friday, she parallel parked her Stumler’s Catering van on Spring Street to set up for a rehearsal dinner.
“I was trying to get out of my car, but as I was looking out my side mirror, I was like, 'Well, you're going too fast. You're going too fast,'" Gregory said. "It was just too much commotion and quick driving for me to open my door and get out of my car."
Spring Street was converted from one-way to two-way traffic in the summer of 2017. While it may have helped traffic flow, people like Gregory said it hasn't helped with speeding. However, New Albany Police say they have seen less people speeding than before the conversion. But it's still not perfect, which is why the six electronic speed signs were recently activated on Spring Street.
“I think if there’s flashing lights there, it works the first few times that you drive by, but if you drive by every day on your way to work and there are no consequences for that, it's kind of Pavlovian,” New Albany Councilman Al Knable said.
That's why Knable is asking drivers to slow down. He said cars, pedestrians, bikers and skateboarders can be a dangerous mix.
“The problem for a pedestrian is if you're in an accident, you're probably going to pay for it with your life or bodily injury,” Knable said.
Last August, a skateboarder was killed when he was hit by a van on Spring Street.
And if drivers don’t slow down, another tragedy could happen again.
“This is one of the streets that there is a lot of fast driving down it,” Gregory said.
City leaders are still collecting data from a speed study on Spring Street. Once that data is compiled, there could be a design change. One option could be adding a four-way stop.
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