Residents in one Santa Ynez neighborhood are fed up with people speeding and have now taken matters into their own hands.
Neighbors have purchased and installed their own speed limit signs to get people to slow down on Meadowvale Rd., but the county says this is illegal.
Neighbor Lotta Asp Andersson has had enough close calls with people she says drive too fast or are distracted driving on Meadowvale Rd. in Santa Ynez.
“(The driver) was not being observant at all and I just saw my dog being run over by this truck and the trucker did not even bother to stay. He stopped basically a block away and then drove away again. Luckily, the dog’s okay,” Andersson said.
Andersson is not alone with her concerns. Neighbor Brigitta Winther has lived off Meadowvale for almost 50 years and says she’s watched the speeding get worse.
“We choose to live here because of the view but the traffic is terrible and people drive too fast,” Winther said.
Now someone in their neighborhood has taken it upon themselves to install two speed limit signs on power poles. The only problem is, the county says that’s illegal and the signs may be removed.
“A lot of people want speed bumps. I’m not so sure about that but if that’s what needs to be done, that’s what needs to be done. Most of all we need to get the speeding down,” Andersson said.
So what actually is the speed limit on this road? The county says drivers should follow “safe and prudent” speeds but those can vary depending on conditions and no single speed limit will adequately serve all conditions.
Santa Barbara County Public Works Public Information Officer Lael Wageneck says the county can “implement traffic calming devices along a street if a road meets specific criteria and guidelines and (they) receive a petition indicating support of 75% of the affected residents.”
In a statement, Wageneck goes on to say, “Residents can find information on this program under the “Traffic Management Policy” link at http://countyofsb.org/pwd/traffic.sbc. Meadowvale Rd. does not meet the criteria, but the policy may be of help to other concerned residents. Any residents who would like to learn more about traffic engineering and speed limits can also visit our Transportation Division FAQ page at http://countyofsb.org/pwd/faq.sbc.”
