Grove Park neighborhood to speeders: Slow down!

At the urging of residents in the Grove Park/Sunset Mountain neighborhood, the city has instituted a pilot program aimed at getting drivers to slow down.

Launched June 1, the Neighborhood Pace Car Program asks volunteers to sign a pledge to respect the speed limit, obey traffic laws and watch out for pedestrians, says city traffic engineer Jeff Moore.

“We’re hoping to change driver behavior,” he explains. “It’s more of a peer pressure thing; it’s part education, part engineering. We’re trying to make the roads safer for all users.”

Alan Escovitz, former president of the Grove Park/Sunset Mountain Neighborhood Association, has played a key role in organizing initiative, which he says grew out of residents’ safety concerns. The campaign targets the neighborhood’s busiest roadways: Charlotte Street, Macon Avenue, Kimberly Avenue and Evelyn Place.

“The common concern is speed in their neighborhoods and making them safer,” says Escovitz. “We have speed humps, and I’m always hearing cars bottoming out on them, which means they’re driving much faster than the 25 mph speed limit.”

Last year, he notes, a woman was killed as she walked along a Kimberly Avenue sidewalk, struck by a speeding car that veered off the road.

“We don’t want that to happen ever again,” says Escovitz. “Drivers need to recognize that residents live here; I want a safe neighborhood for kids. The streets are intended for multimodal transportation, not just for cars but for bikes, pedestrians and all kinds of transportation.”

Besides signing the pledge, volunteers agree to put “Speed Watch Pace Car” sticker on their cars, says Moore, adding, “You’re setting the pace” for other motorists. There are also signs bearing safety messages that residents can put up in their yards.

City transportation personnel, Moore explains, took traffic counts on the neighborhood’s busiest streets to determine vehicle speeds and the times of day when traffic is heaviest. They’ll do another count in three months to see if the program has made a difference.

The Asheville Police Department is a partner in the effort. Officers are stepping up enforcement, monitoring speeds and issuing tickets in problem areas, says Moore.

“They now know where the problems are on those streets and the time of day and volume,” notes Escovitz. “They know where to put their cars for traffic enforcement. It’s making smart use of their limited resources.”

Some 50 to 75 residents have signed up for the program at this point, Moore reports. “This is exciting: This is new ground we’re breaking. So far we’ve had some very positive feedback. Speed is one of the biggest detriments to multimodal transportation. If you’re walking and people are driving really fast, it makes it less safe.”

The Neighborhood Pace Car Program has been used in other cities in North Carolina and across the country, and Moore says Asheville might expand it here if the pilot effort proves effective.

“Hopefully we’re learning from it and we’ll eventually expand it to anyone who wants to sign up,” he says. “If you want to pledge to drive the speed limit, we’d love to have you on board. I’m hoping what we’re doing is going to make a difference.”