No calm for the islands

Well, it’s been a few years now that the “calming devices” have been in place on Murdock Avenue. I sit on my front porch and watch the traffic go by each day. The cement islands that were placed directly in front of my house were intended to slow the vehicles as they maneuver through them. However, they do not slow down those drivers who are determined to speed around or over them!

These small, concrete islands offer little or no deterrent for the younger drivers. They seem to think that these islands are part of an amusement ride that offers a challenge to see how fast they can zip around them or stradle the center island and keep going anywhere from 35 to 50 mph on a 25-mph designated street.

I have mentioned this problem to the young man who supervised their installation and to a City Council member. Unfortunately, it seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

I invite any City Council member, traffic manager and/or police official to sit on my front porch and watch the traffic speed along. They will see how ineffective this particular calming device is. Perhaps it will take a serious crash before anything is done about it. I hope not!

— Rick Semmens
Asheville

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