Neighborhood wants speed humps to slow north Raleigh cut-through traffic

"It's a way to avoid lights," resident Patricia Becker said of the street, which connects Millbrook Road and Lead Mine Road.

About 5,200 vehicles drive on Town and Country Road on an average day, and residents complain that many of them are going faster than the posted 30-mph speed limit.

"They go 55 (mph) and above," Becker said.

Fed-up residents have circulated a petition to persuade city officials to install four speed humps on the street to slow traffic, and 90 percent of the homeowners on Town and Country Road have signed the petition.

"We want it to be safe. No offense to anybody, but we just want them to slow down, and the street signs alone aren't doing it," resident Erika Rosenthal said. "The worst thing you can do is speed through a neighborhood that has a lot of children and foot traffic and hurt somebody."

The proposal is modeled after nearby Shelley Road, where Raleigh installed speed humps two years ago.

Although they recognize the danger posed by speeding traffic, some drivers said they don't like the prospect of losing a quick cut-through.

"I personally don't like speed humps, especially on roads like this, busy intersections like that," driver Jennifer Hanson said.

There isn't a timetable for Raleigh's Department of Public Works to take up the petition. If the department supports the speed humps, the City Council will have the final say on whether to approve the plan.