SPEEDING: Safety issue in Dalton

For quite some time, I felt like I was one of the few people speaking up about the safety of our residents who walk and ride bicycles throughout Dalton. The recent Safety Committee survey, however, made it clear that I am not alone. 

The results overwhelmingly identified speeding as a major concern among Dalton residents. Our residents should be able to walk and ride bicycles without feeling threatened by speeding vehicles. 

When I served on the City Council beginning in 2019, we took action by establishing two four-way stops on 15th Street, following the required legal and federal guidelines, including temporary warning signs 100 feet before the intersections. I ask the current council: Have you reviewed the results of those changes? Have you spoken with the citizens who live in that area about whether those four-way stops have improved safety? 

Engineering standards are important, but elected officials also have a responsibility to listen to residents and address legitimate safety concerns. Before I was elected, I served on the ad-hoc Traffic Committee, where we advocated for four-way stops. 

Concerns were raised about city liability if a driver ignored a stop sign and caused an accident. I have always questioned that reasoning. If a driver violates a legally posted stop sign, shouldn’t the responsibility belong to the driver? 

Stop signs can slow traffic. Enforcement can slow traffic. Traffic-calming measures can slow traffic. But doing nothing will not slow traffic. I am pleading with this council: What are you going to do about speeding and the safety of our residents? We should not wait for someone to be seriously injured or killed before we act.

RAY CRAFT

Dalton Gardens