Concerns rise over speeding vehicles, road safety on Bethel Street in Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Residents turning onto Bethel Street in south Columbia may notice several yellow yard signs scattered across front yards that read “PLEASE SLOW DOWN.”
Nearby residents told ABC 17 News that vehicles speeding down Bethel Street have been a constant problem over the past several years.
On Thursday, Columbia firefighters responded to the 3600 block of Bethel Street after a vehicle was seen laying upside down. Boone County Joint Communications sent a message at 6:08 p.m. stating there was a vehicle collision in the area.
According to STARS reporting data, there have been 14 crashes on Bethel Street in the last three years which have resulted in seven people injured.
- 2021: Three crashes, one injury
- 2022: Six crashes, three injuries
- 2023: Five crashes, three injuries
A resident -- who wished to remain anonymous -- told ABC 17 News that he was neighbors with a family that had two children younger than 10 years old. He claims that they eventually moved out of the neighborhood because they thought that Bethel Street was too dangerous and that their children could not play in the front yard.
The resident worries about student safety as cars speed through the neighborhood while children wait at bus stops. Gentry Middle School is on Bethel Street, but is further south from the 3500-3600 blocks, where many of the “PLEASE SLOW DOWN” signs can be seen.
The resident added that he called the City of Columbia in June after seeing a car “going over 45 miles per hour” past his house. The posted speed limit is just 30 mph. He said he asked the city for a traffic study to be done and was told a city engineer would get back to him, however, they have not gotten back to him.
Columbia’s Neighborhood Traffic Management page has a scoresheet that shows the Public Works Department list of streets on its priority list. Columbia Public Works spokesman John Ogan told ABC 17 News in an email that the list represents the department’s current priorities for implementing traffic calming on neighborhood streets, based on previous traffic studies and a variety of other quantifiable metrics. Bethel Street is not currently on the list.
Ogan added that since Bethel Street is not currently on the list, it indicated that “Columbia Public Works street engineers may not have been asked to perform a traffic study there as of yet by residents of Bethel Street.” Ogan told ABC 17 News in an email that they department are working to verify the status of Bethel Street, and if street engineers had received a petition from residents.
Residents who want a traffic study performed to implement traffic calming measures can submit a petition to the Public Works Department, if it has at least 10 signatures on it. The city says engineers would then perform a traffic study, schedule an interested party meeting with residents and their Councilmember to discuss solutions, formulate designs, and then bring those designs to City Council to be voted upon.
These solutions often come in the form of speed bumps, radar trailers or high-visibility speed limit signs, according to Ogan and information from the city's website. Columbia also offers a Neighborhood Speed Watch program. Residents who agree to participate in the program are given a radar unit to collect data.
