Staff Writer

Those "rip roaring" drivers on Second Avenue in Troy might want to slow down unless they want a ticket.

Tuesday night, Nell Hanson, a resident of the roadway that links Brundidge Street and George Wallace Drive, complained to the Troy City Council about what she calls a

"speedway."

In October 2000, Hanson approached the council with the same problem. That request resulted in larger speed limit signs being posted.

She expressed appreciation for those, but said speeding continued to be a problem on the residential street.

"We have a speed problem on Second Avenue," Hanson told council members. "We feel the city of Troy needs to do something. Whatever you can do, we’d appreciate it."

After Hanson’s first visit with the council, City Planner and Administrator Calvin Lott was asked to have a traffic study done on that street.

He reported, Tuesday night, the state traffic count on that roadway did not justify a three-way stop. In order to install stop signs at the intersections of that stretch of roadway, the traffic count would have to be 500 vehicles per hour, 200 of those vehicles would have to be coming off the side streets.

Hanson argued that traffic count was conducted over a weekend and the Troy State University traffic was not a part of those figures.

Mayor Jimmy Lunsford asked Lott to have another traffic study done during the week after the fall semester begins.

The number of accidents on that roadway also did not justify that type of action.

Troy Police Chief Anthony Everage said only five accidents have been reported on Second Avenue since April 2000. Four of those occurred at intersections and one was the result of a vehicle backing out from a driveway onto Second Avenue. No injuries were reported in any of those accidents, he said.

As a result of complaints to the council, Everage has had officers worked traffic enforcement in that area and will continue to do so. One officer was running radar on Second Avenue on Wednesday.

"We certainly want to do what we can do," Everage said during the council meeting.

Hanson suggested adding "strictly enforced" to the speed limit signs already in place. The mayor said that will be done as soon as the city receives them.

Council President John Witherington said taking unwarranted action, such as installing stop signs, "puts us in a position of more liability and we can’t do that."

Lunsford concurred by saying "the worst thing to have is an unwarranted signal."

Other business during the Tuesday meeting included:

· The first reading of an ordinance that, if passed, will allow citizens to pay utility bills and license fees with a credit card. A fee will be assessed to the card owner.

· Presentation of a proclamation to the Alabama Public Housing State Girls Basketball Champions and charms to the 2000 Miss Troy and her court.

· Being presented a plaque expressing appreciation for the city’s support of the Charles Henderson High School soccer team’s inaugural season. Ramine Ettefagh presented the plaque and asked council members to consider putting lights up at the Sportsplex soccer fields prior to the season beginning.