ThisWeek CW 10/29/2015

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2015/10/26/madison-township-county-says-no-to-traffic-calming-requests.html

The Franklin County Engineer’s Office and the county prosecutor’s office have halted Madison Township’s efforts to install speed bumps and traffic-calming on a couple of township roads.

Township officials announced at the Oct. 21 trustees’ meeting that a traffic study along Winchester Pike completed by the Franklin County Engineer’s Office found no reason to install further traffic-calming devices.

Similarly, a request by trustee Gary McDonald for an opinion about placing speed bumps along Sims Road also was denied by the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office.

Public Works Superintendent Dave Weaver said the traffic study was completed along Winchester Pike between Courtright and Schwartz roads.

“The county came out and took all their measurements and data and they said that speed-reduction wasn’t warranted at this time,” Weaver said.

Earlier this year, the township requested similar traffic studies in the Blacklick Estates neighborhood — with the same result.

McDonald said he and the other trustees are unwilling to give up. He said he approached the prosecutor’s office for a legal opinion to allow the township to install temporary speed bumps. However, McDonald said, the response was that the township does not have the authority to do this.

“I’ve been trying to get speed bumps out there on some of our roads to help calm the traffic and so far, everything has been negative coming out of the Franklin County Engineer’s Office; so back in August, I reached out to the prosecutor regarding the speed bumps and they also said it is a no-go due to our liability,” McDonald said.

“I want residents to know though that this board will continue to work to find a solution to our speeding problems and to make our residents safer.”