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‘Too fast, some furious:’ Bozeman police, community responds to residential speeding

Posted at 11:11 AM, May 19, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-19 13:11:16-04

BOZEMAN – Sometimes, it just doesn’t seem like drivers are noticing speed limit signs and in the worst places to ignore them: quiet neighborhoods.

Most speed limits throughout Bozeman neighborhoods range from 15 to 25 miles per hour. Some don’t seem to see the signs.

“Traffic, in general, is one of the top concerns of many residents,” says Chief Steve Crawford, Bozeman City Police.

Quiet neighborhoods are supposed to be just that: quiet and safe. So when the speed limit in slow areas is ignored, that’s a different story.

“It’s easy to get in a hurry,” says Karl Baer.

Baer lives in one of those neighborhoods.

Even with signs like “Drive Like Your Children Live Here,” he notices those who still can’t wait.

“The one that gets me is ‘You didn’t move here to hurry,’” Baer says. “You know, I see that on the back of somebody’s car and I’m like, good point.”

Others say a few places have digital signs, but many still hit the gas.

“Motorist safety is a big deal for us,” Chief Crawford says.

Bozeman City Police say this is a kind of call officers often get.

“We do periodically get reports of motorists traveling too fast,” Chief Crawford says. “Often times when we are stopping vehicles that are exceeding the posted speed limit, they live in that neighborhood.”

Chief Crawford adds narrow streets with many parked cars can hide unseen dangers, like kids playing outside.

Residents can ask for help if they notice a trend.

“They can request or work with our neighborhoods coordinator on requesting temporary traffic calming devices,” Chief Crawford says. “We’ve been working with local entities on introducing traffic calming devices like little islands. We’ve been experimenting with that.”

Folks like Baer have noticed such experiments, in return.

“I really like some of the traffic calming features that they are putting in,” Baer says. “I think that that helps reminds us to go slow and forces the traffic to go slow.”

But still, Chief Crawford says it is a growing issue and hard to stop completely.

“My big advice to residents is to slow down,” Chief Crawford says. “Leave early enough so that you don’t have to be in a hurry and then watch where you’re going and then watch the speed limits.”

Cody Boyer – MTN News