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Photograph by George Sakkestad

Speeders have been using Three Oaks Way to bypass traffic lights on Highway 9. Residents successfully petitioned the city to install moveable 'speed lumps' on their street, which were put in earlier this month.

Speeders take their lumps on Three Oaks Way

Neighbors spent five years seeking way to slow traffic

By Jason Sweeney

Traffic lights can slow a speeding motorist. That's why some speeders like to use Pamela Roper-Kaiser's street as a shortcut.

Motorists in a hurry figured if they turned onto Three Oaks Way, they could bypass the traffic lights where Fruitvale Avenue intersects Highway 9. Roper-Kaiser said upwards of 900 drivers a day use her narrow street as a shortcut.

"The posted speed limit on our street is 25," she said. "It's a straight shot with no natural curves. People blast onto the street, hitting it at 50 miles per hour."

Because of residents' concerns, the city of Saratoga installed two "speed lumps" on Three Oaks Way earlier this month. A speed lump is a kind of speed bump that is bolted to the pavement and can be removed or repositioned if necessary. The speed lumps are designed to slow down motorists while not impeding police and emergency vehicles.

"We have received many complaints about speeding and the volume of traffic on the road," said Kristen Borel, Saratoga public works analyst. "The safety of homeowners walking, jogging, going to their mailboxes and just trying to safely back out of their driveways has been a source of complaints."

With two children of her own, Roper-Kaiser had been troubled for years by the fast-moving vehicles barreling down her street. Other families with children live along the narrow roadway that is popular with bicyclists, joggers and dog-walkers. Roper-Kaiser heard the stories about near misses and people getting sideswiped while walking their dogs. She herself had to jump out of the way of speeding vehicles while collecting her mail. She felt it was only a matter of time until someone was killed or injured.

Five years ago, Roper-Kaiser decided to do something. She began making phone calls to the city, petitioning neighbors and pedestrians, and writing letters. "One Saturday in an hour and a half, I got 40 signatures from people walking by."

Bill Boller, who also lives on Three Oaks Way, said in an email Roper-Kaiser was influential in getting the city to take action. "Pam was really the driving force and almost single-handedly did everything, from initiating the idea to bird-dogging it through the city process. We really just provided support to ensure that the city knew that the neighbors shared Pam's concerns and had observations of our own that reinforced the need for speed control."

Boller said the potential for a serious collision on the road was significant. He said the dangers caused by speeding were compounded by the narrowness of the road and the lack of sidewalks, and because Three Oaks Way runs east to west, putting the sun directly in the eyes of motorists twice a day.

"Our street connects with Highway 9 at one end and to a main artery of the freeway and the community college at the other end, attracting traffic as a shortcut, even though it only saves a few hundred feet from alternative routes," he said. "The obvious first line of defense is simplest--speed control. To achieve safe speeds we can rely on drivers' judgment, which has been inadequate for some thoughtless individuals, or we can provide physical aids to remind them of their responsibility. This is what is being attempted with the addition of the speed bumps."

Roper-Kaiser said her first attempts to have the city do something about her street met resistance. There was concern speed bumps would impede police and emergency vehicles, and the city was occupied with other traffic safety problems.

"On Sept. 8, 2005, the Traffic Safety Commission reviewed the complaints of residents, and along with the traffic engineer, determined the need for speed bumps to help slow down traffic on this narrow street," Borel said.

The city then decided to install speed lumps instead of traditional speed bumps. "We had a trial of this product in November and invited the sheriff's department and fire department to bring their trucks, cars and motorcycles to test out the new lumps prior to the installation. All the agencies had no problem with this new product," Borel said.

"Now people have to slow down to go the actual limit because of the speed bumps," Roper-Kaiser said. "But as soon as they get off those speed bumps, they're gassing it up again. I think it's better than it was. It's not the optimum, but I'll take any little thing we can get. It took a long time, but I think the Traffic Safety Commission should be congratulated for getting it done."

The Traffic Safety Commission will review the implementation of the speed lumps and asking for resident input at its next meeting on May 8.