Traffic Police to Target Speeders on Shaffer St.

Motorists accustomed to speeding down Shaffer Street may be pulled over by traffic cops in the next few weeks unless they change their habits, city officials said.

“We can anticipate the police will be writing a lot of tickets,” said Mayor Joanne Coontz, who has been besieged by residents complaining about speeders on Shaffer, where the posted limit is 25 mph.

For nearly a year, a group of residents has been lobbying the city for stop signs or other slowing devices on the street. But they hit a barrier in the Traffic Commission in February, when engineers cited studies showing that stop signs are not as effective as speed control devices.

Engineers also rejected the idea of putting turn restrictions at Meats Avenue and Shaffer, saying it would simply disrupt traffic flow in the surrounding neighborhood, officials said.

But the group won a commitment from the City Council this week to stricter enforcement and possibly a traffic study of the area. The initial results, and options for other solutions, will be presented at the council’s Dec. 10 meeting.

Residents say that drivers use Shaffer to avoid the more heavily traveled nearby streets of Orange Olive Road, Glassell Street and Cambridge Avenue.

“Shaffer Street is the biggest shortcut there is for people trying to circumvent traffic lights,” resident Tony Dunn said. “Everybody has turned it into a mile-long drag strip. Something needs to be done.”