The 30 mph speed limit on both Denny Road and South Geyer Road between Lindbergh Boulevard and state Route 30 (Gravois Road) may soon be changed to 25 mph if the Sunset Hills Board of Aldermen approves it in December.
Also up for consideration is making Denny a double fine zone, though the board has more mixed feelings about that.
“We felt that letting the reduced speed limit work its way through and people get accustomed to that before kind of taking the next step of double fining them. I think most people were confident that the reduced speed limit would work on its own,” Ward 3 Alderman Greg Colombo said, referring to the discussion that the Police Advisory Board had in advance of the Board of Aldermen’s November meeting.
Sunset Hills Chief of Police Stephen Dodge agreed with Colombo, though city attorney Erin Seele noted that the double fine is simply an authorization, not a requirement.
“Neither the (police) nor (the city) can say, ‘When someone gets a ticket on Denny Road, you will get a double fine.’ It will always be up to the judge. The judge can either issue a double fine, they can issue a low fine or they can issue nothing,” she explained. “And the officer doesn’t have to give a ticket at all. Police always have the discretion. This is kind of just to get more tools in the toolbox. I think really the whole point is to try to get people’s attention, not really at all to ticket anyone.”
Ward 4 Aldermen Fred Daues then mentioned that if the board decided to move forward with the double fine zone, a sign must be erected near the new speed limit sign to ensure people are not surprised.
If passed, these changes would be a relief to those who reside on the street, many of whom have expressed their concern with the reckless driving that frequently occurs in the area. Representing the neighborhood, Kari Willett, a Denny Road resident, came before the board in October to plead the case, citing the recent 10-day speed study conducted by the city.
“During this timeframe, there were 26,000 cars that drove along Denny, traveling Denny with speeds reaching up to 90 miles an hour,” Willett said. “Drivers routinely speed 10 to 12 miles per hour or more, especially during morning and rush hour, when children are getting on buses or walking to St. Lucas preschool. This is a residential area with driveways, children at play, dog walkers, cyclists. Yet the speeds often are more appropriate for Lindbergh (Boulevard) or even sometimes (Interstate) 270.”
In response to the study, Willett created a petition to lower the speed limit and enact the double fine zone. She gathered signatures from over 20 other residents of Denny Road all equally in support of the measures. Willett also mentioned that “every family that (she) went to” was more in favor of installing speed humps or other similar traffic calming measures, though that cannot happen until the issue is moved from the Tier 2 level to the Tier 3 level of the city’s traffic calming procedure.
“(If the speed limit change passes), we’ll let that sit for six or eight months, we will continue to run enforcement as we have, and then we can do another speed study and see what’s working. From there, we can move to phase three. I know we’ve talked about street dieting that specific road before, ideally in conjunction with some pedestrian accessibility, so sidewalks, trails, all of those fun things. We could, at that time, too, look at a grant that would certainly help with the funding for that,” city administrator Brittany Gillett said.
Two ordinances — one on the speed limit change, the other on enacting the double fine — were read for the first time at the board’s meeting on Nov. 11. They will be read for a second time on Dec. 9, with a vote for approval to follow.
