Teenage
girl convinces Hyde Park council to move speed limit
sign
By Brittny
Goodsell Jones
September 29, 2008 | HYDE PARK -- Because of a girl
without a license, residents can drive a bit safer.
A 25 mph speed limit sign in front of the post office
will be moved to the east side of the road after resident
Jessica Beddingfield, 15, complained to the city council
Wednesday about its location. Beddingfield said the
sign was too far off the side of the road for drivers
to notice the change from 35 mph. She also said the
sign was hard to see because of trees about 50 feet
in front of it.
"People think they should go 35 instead of 25," Beddingfield
said as she addressed council members. "That's too dangerous
to cross the street at Cedar Ridge Elementary."
Her dad is a police officer, she said, and even he
didn't know the speed limit was 25 mph on Hyde Park
Lane.
Councilman Brent Kelly thought it was 35 mph as well.
Mayor Dave Kooyman said he will follow through and
make sure the sign is changed.
"I had two calls this week on the same thing," Kooyman
said.
The sign was put in earlier this year. Kooyman said
residents can expect the speed limit sign to be moved
by the end of next week.
Beddingfield also said the sign looks smaller than
other speed limit signs around the city.
Kooyman said anything is possible but he thinks the
size is standard since all signs come from the state.
Council members also announced the ordering of new
signs to help control unauthorized ATV use at the fairly
new Lions Park at 100 N. and between 500 and 700 North.
Kooyman said he has seen too many motorbikes and four-wheelers
given free rein over the upper trail slope.
"It makes me sick after all the work we did," Kooyman
said.
ATV's are creating ruts in the slope. The ruts end
up holding water and eventually ruin the shape of the
slope. Until the five signs arrive, Kooyman said he
has beefed up the patrol there to make sure people know
about the new rule. The council also discussed
putting in a fence on the new above the slope to discourage
ATV riders from riding to the top of the slop and onto
the trail.
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