CLEVELAND — If you’re driving near Rocky River and Lorain in Cleveland’s Kamm’s Corner, you can’t help but notice an interesting billboard sign that Maureen Patterson, Cleveland local, paid for with her own money to get her councilperson’s attention.
“There’s a lot of people that are out there that agree with me, and there’s a lot of people that don’t and that’s okay,” Patterson said.
On a billboard sign right above Papa John’s parking lot on Cleveland’s West Side, there’s a message encouraging residents to tell Councilman Charles Slife to remove speed tables in Ward 17, and it even has his number as well as the number of the woman responsible for this sign.
News 5 called the number and eventually met with Patterson, who did not want to reveal her face on camera but told us she’s been fed up for months.
Now, she said she’s sending a larger statement in hopes of getting people to sign this petition.
“When they were installed, there were no markings. No indication, and coming down my own street, I almost bottomed out my car,” Patterson said.
Shortly after, she emailed Councilman Charles Slife, who said it’s all about improving public safety and getting drivers to slow down— an effort News 5 has been following in several neighborhoods across the city for months.
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“They haven’t been without controversy, but, on the whole, I think people understand that these are necessary in our community,” Slife said.
Still, nearby neighbors, like one man who didn’t want to share his face or name on camera, said he wanted the speed tables removed because he believes they are ineffective.
“Even if people slow down, all they do is slow down for a second and speed past it, and also, they constantly run over the grass to avoid it. It’s a waste of money,” the Cleveland resident said.
Although Slife said there have been zero speeding-related deaths in Ward 17, he told News 5 that a driver did hit and injure a kid while they were riding their bike last year.
He said he wants to be proactive in addition to installing more visible warnings for drivers when approaching these speed tables.
“Even small changes in speed can be a matter of life or death if someone is hit by a car,” Slife said.
“I would like them to be less aggressive,” said Patterson. “Other areas have put in speed tables where you can go over safely at 20 mph and on a residential road, I think that’s reasonable.”
Since the billboard was posted, Councilman Slife has received several calls, and he said the majority have been in favor of the speed tables.
