It’s going to take a groundswell of community support – and at least 85 percent approval by South Tropical Trail residents – to convince the Brevard County Commission to replace speed humps on the narrow roadway that were removed five months ago for a resurfacing project.
The traffic calming devices in place since the early 1990s were removed from a two-mile section north from Mather’s Bridge, in effect leaving it wide open to speeders and contributing to two higher-speed car crashes which have occurred since mid-October.
Add to the situation possible increased danger to the growing numbers of runners and bicyclists who regularly train on the scenic roadway, and the next accident could involve loss of life, said longtime state senator and former Brevard County Commissioner Thad Altman, who has taken up the cause.
Replacing the bumps is a matter of public safety and any delay in getting them back in place could have immediate and disastrous consequences, he said.
The speed hump issue was discussed during public comments at the Oct. 8 regular Brevard County Commission meeting at which resident Gary Helton described receiving a yes-or-no survey on getting new speed bumps.
However, he said the vote may have been skewed because there remains confusion about exactly the type of device to be installed: a bump like before or a newer version called a speed hump.
District 4 County Commissioner Carl Smith has the responsibility for that section of the roadway. He described a lengthy process studying the speed humps (newer versions), with residents surveys so far not yielding the 85 percent agreement needed to consider creating and funding the project.
“We gave the residents the opportunity to vote and the number (required) is 85 percent and we didn’t get near that. The process has played out and it’s up to me to make a decision,’’ Smith said in the Oct. 8 meeting.
With no decision so far, and the road still vulnerable to speeding, Altman is counting on a “community imitative” to replace the speed bumps (or humps) involving residents, runners, bicyclists and other users of the road.
“I’m frankly surprised that so many people are against them. It’s very dangerous narrow road constrained by trees and boulders.
“We (the county commission) decided to end the mayhem and installed the first speed bumps in 1992,’’ Altman said.
According to crash statistics from the University of Florida’s Signal 4 Crash database for S. Tropical Trail from Pineda Causeway south to Mathers Bridge, there were no fatalities but 31 crashes there from January 2015 to Oct. 24, 2019.
