SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla – Drivers in Sanford say new speed tables are slowing cars down, but they’re also causing another problem on Celery Avenue.
One of our News 6 viewers reached out and requested we look at the changes, because he had concerns about the lack of light in the area. He said the speed tables are hard to see at night, and the signs that are posted are difficult to read in the dark without lights.
[EXCLUSIVE:Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE)| PINIT!Share your photos]
And, he wasn’t the only one who noticed. Dozens of people have posted comments on social media about the new speed tables. One man even claimed it broke the splash protector on his minivan and now his car makes a whistling sound.
“People have been complaining,” said one woman who lives nearby. “They don’t see the hump and they fly over and scrape the bottom of their car.”
Monday, our crew spoke to neighbors in the area who had mixed reactions.
“I don’t have a problem with them,” said another woman. “I think it helps those people slow down because people have a tendency to go a little too fast.”
There are two new raised crosswalks and concrete speed tables on Celery Avenue - one in front of the Celery key neighborhood and one in front of Celery Estates. There are signs posted that warn drivers to slow down at the bump, and orange flags, but no reflective strips or flashing lights.
A spokesperson for Seminole County said the project was designed in full compliance with the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and the raised crosswalks and speed tables were approved by the Florida Department of Transportation as part of the federally funded Local Agency Program (LAP).
The county and city of Sanford have both been watching how vehicles are traveling through Celery Avenue since the new speed tables were installed as part of work on the Lake Monroe Trail Loop Project, which will connect Sanford’s Riverwalk to SR 415.
In response, the city has lowered the speed limit to 35mph, and signs near the speed tables recommend 20mph in those spots.
You can read the full response from Seminole County below:
The raised crosswalks and concrete speed tables installed for this project were designed in full compliance with the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and were approved by the Florida Department of Transportation as part of the federally funded Local Agency Program (LAP).
Since installation, the County and the City of Sanford have been actively monitoring how vehicles are interacting with the raised crosswalks. In response, the City has lowered the posted speed limit and is enforcing the new requirement, and we will continue to monitor conditions and enforce the reduced speed limit as needed.
This work is part of Phase 1 of the Lake Monroe Trail Loop Project, which will connect Sanford’s Riverwalk to SR 415 and complete a critical missing segment of the Lake Monroe Trail Loop. For more information and project updates, please visit:www.seminolecountyfl.gov/lake-monroe-trail-loop