New speed humps in Louisville's Newburg neighborhood making a 'big difference'

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Residents of the Newburg neighborhood have long asked for speed humps in the area, deterrents to increased speeds on Poplar Level Road, East Indian Trail and other popular cut-throughs.

Louisville Metro Police investigators have spent considerable resources over the past few years cracking down on street racers across Louisville, and Newburg residents said it's happening right outside their front doors.

Perry Pettus said a new subdivision nearby created a cut-through near her house, so he decided to do something about it. He reached out to his councilwoman, Dr. Barbara Shanklin, about adding speed humps on his street.

"Everybody was for it," Pettus said. "We have quite a few kids out here, and a lot of people walking, walking their dogs, and they're rolling through here."

After getting dozens of signatures from Newburg residents, speed humps were installed on 25-30 different streets in Newburg, both the busier routes and the quiet, residential areas.

It was a year long process for Pettus, but Shanklin said she's been pushing for it for several years.

"Young people running through, doing donuts, running up in people's yard, knocking down the mailboxes, that type of thing," Shanklin said. "You know how young people do. So now, they can't zip through the streets as fast because they have to stop every so often, and it makes a big difference."

Pettus said as soon as they were put in, he noticed a big difference, too.

"Now it's like people are walking down the sidewalks, I can sit on the front porch, wave hello, how ya doing," he said. "Same thing with the cars coming by. I know who my neighbors are now.

"It makes for a nicer neighborhood."

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