STUART, Fla. — Residents of Stuart’s 10th Street neighborhood are expressing growing concern about speeding vehicles in their community, prompting city officials to take a closer look at potential traffic calming measures.
The posted speed limit on 10th Street is 25 mph, but some residents say drivers frequently exceed that limit, raising safety concerns, especially for children.
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"We're dealing with a lot of speeding,” said Stuart resident Jennifer Qadir.
"We have consistently seen people driving at excessive speed up and down these roads," added Tara Auth, another resident.
Parents in the area say the speeding has made them hesitant to allow their children to play outside or ride bikes.
"Myself included and others in this neighborhood have directly been told I saw someone almost hit your child on the bike," Auth said.
Qadir echoed those concerns.
"We have a 3- and a 4-year-old—they can’t ride a bike yet because I have to be very cautious about what hours I can let them out there to make sure that there aren't people going 60 mph," Qadir said.
According to the Stuart Police Department, they've clocked drivers traveling as fast as 58 mph, which is more than double the speed limit.
In May, the city hosted a community workshop to gather public input on how to address the issue. This week, city commissioners received an update and heard from Stuart Police Chief Flamur Zenelovic.
"The data might suggest that we've given enough warning opportunities to folks that are going through there, so obviously now we'll have to switch to a more aggressive posture when it comes to issuing citations," said Zenelovic.
The police chief presented data captured during a week in February — 26,481 vehicles westbound on Southeast 10th Street and 21,341 eastbound.
Some residents believe that while increased ticketing may help in the short term, it may not provide a lasting solution.
"It might help temporarily, but every school year that there's a new population of kids you have to train a new population of parents," Qadir said. "We’re asking for things like traffic circles, chicanes, bump outs."
City officials are currently considering a range of solutions, including four-way stops, painted crosswalks, and planting trees along the street to visually narrow the road and encourage slower driving.
"That's really scary to think about a car is going that fast in such a small residential area,” said Auth. “Anything that could get somebody to slow down is beneficial.”
Residents said they are eager to see changes implemented before the start of the upcoming school year.
The city expects it will have to bring a plan back to commissioners for approval before rolling out any safety upgrades.
