Yorktown Man Concerned Over Lack of Speed Bumps on Quinlan Street [Poll]

Residents, living on Quinlan Street in Yorktown, are asking town board members for a solution to slow down traffic in their neighborhood. 

Jack Mota, a three-year resident, said when he placed a bid to purchase his house there was a speed bump right next to his house. But right before he closed on the property in 2009, all the speed bumps on the street were removed. 

"If I knew the speed bumps were going to be removed, I never would have bought the house," the father of two young daughter told town board members earlier this week. 

The main reason for the speed bumps to be removed, Mota was told were residents' complaints. However, he said residents have told him they didn't sign a petition for the removal of the speed bumps. 

According to data on Quinlan Street, the average speed was 38 miles-per-hour and the high speed was 64 miles-per-hour without the speed bumps, Mota said.

"This is a residential area – an area with 30-mile-an-hour speed limit," Mota said. "It only takes one speeding car to end a life."

Mota said he and his wife were concerned about the safety of their two young children, as well as the safety of all the children on their block.

Citing September 2008 town board minutes, Mota said the speed bumps were installed without the residents' knowing and two bumps, which were too high, were lowered in March 2008.

"The biggest complaint are the speed bumps, noise of trucks, but the speed bumps were placed right below bedroom windows," Mota said. "The other one complaint was inconvenience of driving over the bumps with landscaping materials. But what's more important – convenience or safety?"

Mota, who is gathering signatures for a petition to install speed humps –not speed bumps – in his neighborhood, said there have been only seven people who were opposed to the speed humps. 

Yorktown councilman Nick Bianco, who also lives in the area, said placing speed humps was not the answer to the solution because of liability issues. 

"It's the shortcut to the mall and everybody knew that," Bianco said of Quinlan Street. "When I moved there there was no two-road to the mall, there was no mall. But that's what it is now, but we need to do something to slow it down. Perhaps some stop signs." 

Yorktown supervisor Michael Grace said board members would refer the issue to the traffic safety committee. 

"We get your point loud and clear," Grace said. 

Mota said he was willing to have town board members over to his house where they could listen to the residents' concerns and discuss a solution. 

"Listen to us," he told Yorktown town board members. 

What's the best solution for slowing down traffic on Quinlan Street? Take our poll and tell us in the comments below. 

Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories delivered right to your inbox or smartphone everyday with our free newsletter. Simple, fast sign-up here.

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for our newsletter