CHARLOTTE, NC -- Neighbors in northwest Charlotte reached out to NewsChannel 36 about a long-term problem with speeding drivers.
"Please check this street," started an email written to WCNC from homewoner on Edgewood Drive. The street is little more than a quarter-mile long, with a speed limit of 25mph.
"I'm almost to the point of giving up, but every now and then I try to get someone's attention," said Rayshelia James, author of the e-mail.
As part of the NewsChannel 36 "Streets of Speed" series, a news crew visited the street and used a radar gun to measure how fast typical drivers were going. Over an hour, one weekday afternoon, most drivers were going 5-10mph faster than the posted speed limit, but at least four people were 20mph above the 25pmh limit.
"People fly through this neighborhood," said neighbor Larry Lambert.
James and Lambert hoped they could get speed bumps installed along the street. NewsChannel 36 checked with the Charlotte D.O.T., and found that since it' s designated as a "minor thoroughfare", Edgewood Rd. can't have speed bumps.
The D.O.T. did install an electronic sign that alerts drivers how fast they're going. Neighbors say it works in the immediate vicinity of the sign, but that drivers quickly speed up after passing it.
Neighbors say police patrol the street often, but not consistently enough to curb speeders.
The Charlotte Department of Transportation posted "speed hump" criteria on their website, for any neighborhoods interested in having them installed.
If you have a street that you’re worried about, email us at streetsofspeed@wcnc.com.
