UPDATE: Dozens of traffic stops made since residents complained about speeders

Police have issued more than two dozen warnings and citations in less than one month since residents who live along Beal Road complained to city council about speeding.

The Franklin Police Department set up a speed trailer along the road to warn drivers by flashing their rate of speed as well as collect speed data.

At Monday’s council meeting, police Chief Russell Whitman said “there is a speeding problem” after the department reviewed the information collected since the July 16 council meeting.

Whitman said patrols have increased on Beal Road and so far there have been 25 traffic stops with 12 drivers receiving tickets. Of the traffic stops, two were residents who had complained to council about speeders.

Results of the speed camera from July 23-30 indicated that 9,124 vehicles used Beal Road, with 3,551 vehicles, or 38.9 percent, exceeding the 35 mph speed limit.

In the 85th percentile of speed study, the speed was 39 mph. The median speed was 34 mph and the maximum measured was 60 mph.

According to the speed study, it appears most of the speeding was done between 6 and 8 a.m. and between 5 and 7 p.m. During the weekend days of the study, most of the speeding recorded on Saturday occurred about 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. On Sunday it was between 9 and 11 a.m., then again at 1 p.m. and at 5 p.m.

In the past, police have only received two complaints about trucks and two complaints about speeders in that area, according to police.

Councilman Denny Centers, who lives on Beal Road, said the increased patrols were slowing things down, but some motorists still don’t know about the increased traffic patrols.

City officials are considering a flashing sign to warn motorists of hidden drives and looking at cutting the hill some to help improve visibility.

City Manager Sonny Lewis, who also lives on Beal Road said state regulations prohibit the use of stop signs to control traffic.

“If you live out there, you have to be cautious,” he said.

He also said that truck traffic has also gone down in the past few weeks after talking to businesses about the issue.

“It’s expensive to get a ticket,” Lewis said. “We want them to obey the law and not get a ticket.”

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