Slow Down Nicely

I've been cutting through Highland Hills on my last few solo rides, heading back and forth to the Narrows Bridge. I noticed that there are a few large speed bumps and many polite signs encouraging drivers to slow down.

As I stopped to take on of these photos, a homeowner came out of his garage and asked if I needed air. I ask the same sort of questions when I see folks prowling around in front of my house. 

"I like these signs. You've got quite a collection along this street." The neighbor explained that the HOA had asked the City of Tacoma to help them with speed control and they did nothing. "We get lots of speeders cutting through to miss the light at N 21st an Pearl."

So the HOA paid to put in the speed bumps, with the help of some grant funding, and put up the signs throughout the neighborhood. The Highland Hills neighborhood has plenty of pedestrian traffic between the golf course, retirement communities, families and kids playing, and the bus line. The 25mph zone could easily be a 20.

I thanked the neighbor for the chat. He was happy to share his story and happened to be heading out on a bike ride that evening, too. His family was biking to a restaurant for dinner.

Until the City of Tacoma engineers safer streets and increases traffic enforcement, neighborhoods like Highland Hills will be forced to take matters into ther own hands. And they are even doing it nicely.