AKRON, Ohio — Country Jackson points to two damaged trees not far from his Akron home on Storer Avenue. Both trees are missing big chunks of bark because speeding cars crashed into them.
The 77-year-old man wasn't home when the first crash happened, but he witnessed the aftermath of the second one.
"He wasn't paying attention. He hit the curb and ran into the tree, flipped upside down and the police came and arrested him," Jackson said.
The senior citizen said people often speed — sometimes up to 60 miles per hour — after turning onto his street from Copley Road.
Jackson said he even became a victim of a woman who was carelessly speeding.
"I was coming down the street making a left-hand turn into my driveway, and some lady passed me on the left and hit me right here in my driveway," he said.
Frustrating and frightening stories like that partially prompted Akron city officials to launch pilot programs with temporary speed tables.
The first pilot program in 2020 was small and only involved two speed tables, but calls for more of the speed deterrents have been gaining momentum.
In 2023, the tables were in all wards of the city.
During a Thursday morning news conference covering a variety of city issues, Nanette Pitt, Akron's Chief of Strategy, said, "This has been a long-time concern of our residents and a critical issue for daily life."
About 30 temporary speed tables were installed on different streets in the spring and summer last year, but the tables, which have tapered ends and long flat tops, were removed in the fall.
Akron's new mayor, Shammas Malik, said the entire process is very time-consuming for the service department.
"They require a crew to install them— 300 screws— and then in the fall, or the late fall, to take them out," Malik said.
Malik said the capital budget is being increased from $200,000 to $500,000 for speed reduction efforts, including a pilot program that could make some of the speed tables permanent.
"When we look at permanent ones, I think we're going to probably start with locations where we've piloted it previously and seen that it's effective," the mayor said.
City officials said some concerns have been raised by snow plow drivers who feel the bumps could make clearing the roads tough. Another worry is that permanent tables could slow down emergency response vehicles.
"We don't want to create a significant burden on our fire and EMS, but we also want to address what has been a persistent neighborhood issue," Malik said.
In addition to the permanent speed tables, the $500,000 in improvements also call for more electronic speed signs and other interventions to get people to slow down.
City officials haven't determined how many or where temporary and/or permanent speed tables will be placed. Those decisions are expected to be made in the spring.
Jackson said the temporary speed tables made a big difference in his neighborhood and he hopes they return to Storer Avenue.
"The traffic slowed down, and then, I didn't have as many cars going back and forth," he said.
