Columbia Public Works hosts a Rain Forest Parkway calming project meeting

ABC 17 went to Rain Forest Parkway this afternoon to detect how fast cars were traveling, and the speed gun picked up 35 and 40 m.p.h. in a 25 m.p.h. zone.

Resident Adam Franklin said he sees cars travel as fast as 50 m.p.h.

“I was actually almost hit by a car, it was going so fast,” said Franklin.

Franklin said he no longer runs on his street because he does not think it is safe. He also told us that he is a father of teenagers and he does not allow them to play in the front yard.

“If a ball rolls into the street, it’s just not worth it,” he said.

He lives in one of the three houses that faces the street, making his house a direct target for fast and loud cars.

He also said his family no longer uses the sidewalks either, they travel to quieter street to walk and ride bikes.

Over the years, the city has put in place an island and a speed bump to slow cars down, but Franklin tells us it does not work. He hears car bottoming out constantly.

The city’s efforts so far have created what neighbors call annoyance and further noise.

After reviewing a traffic study conducted two years ago, data confirms the problem. Nine hundred cars use the road, daily. Cars, on average travel thirty-five, and some forty-five, in a twenty-five mile per hour zone.

Columbia Public Works will host a meeting tomorrow night, Monday, at Derby Ridge Elementary School, 4000 Derby Ridge Drive, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria.

The purpose of the meeting is to review potential solutions, define and prioritize problems and identify desired outcomes.

Construction is currently planned for 2019, with a $50,000 budget.