For years, people living in one Shoals neighborhood have dealt with a constant and potentially dangerous problem - speeding. Now, police are getting tough. They've launched a program to get drivers to obey the speed limit.
The posted speed limit in the Mountain Brook Neighborhood in Killen is 15 miles per hour. However, resident Gina Clifton says very few people abide by it.
"I live in the middle of the street, so I see people coming and going and they speed both ways," says "They speed up the hill and they speed down the hill."
Billy Irons has lived in the Mountain Brook neighborhood since 1978 and says speeders have always been a problem.
"I see it everyday," says Irons.
Irons says he sees drivers moving at a very fast pace on a regular basis. "I've seen 50 miles per hour," says Irons.
Fifty miles per hour is not that high compared to the speeds Killen Police Chief Mark Parker has seen.
"I've personally seen speeds of 60 and 70 miles per hour in a 15 miles per hour zone more than once," says Parker.
That observation, plus complaints from citizens prompted Chief Parker to start a speed reduction program. Since June, officers on every shift have been patrolling problem areas like Shaler Drive in the Mountain Brook subdivision and Alabama Street. Parker says officers have issued about a dozen tickets.
"Of the drivers we observed during this program, the high speeds were in the 30s and 40s," explains Parker.
Parker understands that people may not want to drive that slow, but says the speed limit is 15 miles per hour for a reason.
"You have children that play, people backing out of driveways, kids on bicycles, and people walking for exercise," says Parker. "Things like that are common in neighborhood areas and that type of activity demands the driver pay more attention and adhere closer to the speed limits."
Chief Parker says his department will continue to monitor the current streets and officers will soon branch out to other areas where speeding is a problem, including Old Lexington Road and J C Mauldin Highway.
The posted speed limit in the Mountain Brook Neighborhood in Killen is 15 miles per hour. However, resident Gina Clifton says very few people abide by it.
"I live in the middle of the street, so I see people coming and going and they speed both ways," says "They speed up the hill and they speed down the hill."
Billy Irons has lived in the Mountain Brook neighborhood since 1978 and says speeders have always been a problem.
"I see it everyday," says Irons.
Irons says he sees drivers moving at a very fast pace on a regular basis. "I've seen 50 miles per hour," says Irons.
Fifty miles per hour is not that high compared to the speeds Killen Police Chief Mark Parker has seen.
"I've personally seen speeds of 60 and 70 miles per hour in a 15 miles per hour zone more than once," says Parker.
That observation, plus complaints from citizens prompted Chief Parker to start a speed reduction program. Since June, officers on every shift have been patrolling problem areas like Shaler Drive in the Mountain Brook subdivision and Alabama Street. Parker says officers have issued about a dozen tickets.
"Of the drivers we observed during this program, the high speeds were in the 30s and 40s," explains Parker.
Parker understands that people may not want to drive that slow, but says the speed limit is 15 miles per hour for a reason.
"You have children that play, people backing out of driveways, kids on bicycles, and people walking for exercise," says Parker. "Things like that are common in neighborhood areas and that type of activity demands the driver pay more attention and adhere closer to the speed limits."
Chief Parker says his department will continue to monitor the current streets and officers will soon branch out to other areas where speeding is a problem, including Old Lexington Road and J C Mauldin Highway.
