Barb Novak enjoys walking her dog "Sonnie" near their home on Hillside Road in Independence.
The speed limit is 25 mph in the residential area between Brecksville and Canal roads, but she said many people ignore it, putting kids and even people going to their mailboxes in danger.
"Oh, way over 25. Yes, I've seen 50, 50 mph at least," Novak said.
It's the type of driver the Independence Police Department has worked to stop, educate, and sometimes ticket through radar enforcement.
"We want to make sure our children are safe (and) our families are safe," said Chief Robert Butler.
Butler said three years ago, there were about 30 to 40 traffic stops compared to 100 this year. He said that while police remain proactive on the issue of speeders, there are natural limitations.
"Police officers can't be everywhere," Butler said. "We can't be running radar all the time."
This is why the city and police department partnered to install two speed tables on Hillside Rd.
"These additional tools really help us be able to make an impact on more than one driver at a time that we can do with a traffic stop," Butler said.
One speed table is close to Independence Primary School. The other is a bit further east, near the home where Rick M. lives with his girlfriend.
"We get a lot of speeders," Rick said. "I think they could use a couple more."
He applauds the police department for listening to residents tired of the neighborhood nuisance.
Butler said the speed tables are part of a pilot program that will be studied over the next year. He said they'll be used from April to November and pulled up to allow plows and service vehicles proper access during winter.
He said the speed tables, sometimes called calming devices, are less aggressive than speed bumps, allowing emergency vehicles to navigate them safely.
"And if you didn't have this (speed tables) they'd be doing a lot faster, and the police have been good about running radar before they installed these," Rick said.
Despite signage warning drivers of the speed tables, there's a learning curve. Tuesday, vehicles appearing to be going to the speed limit gently went over them. The speed tables are designed to elevate a vehicle's entire wheelbase. Other drivers didn't seem to notice or care.
"You're hoping that maybe this has an impact on people's behaviors?" I asked Novak.
"I certainly hope so," Novak said.
She and Rick said speeding on Hillside Road hasn't been their only concern lately.
"It's a cut through here and it's constant traffic especially during morning and afternoons," Rick said. "Sometimes you can't even back out of the driveway because the traffic flows so much here."
It's linked to a major county bridge replacement project along E. Pleasant Valley Road. The $29 million plan is replacing three bridges. The work has a section of westbound E. Pleasant Valley Road closed through July 2025. Access to E. Pleasant Valley Road from Canal Road is only in the eastbound direction.
While detours and construction are expected until the project's completion in 2026, police and residents who spoke to News 5 hope drivers stop speeding- now!
"We want to make sure this is a good, solid community that values safety," Butler said.
He added the speed tables are portable and can be redeployed to other areas in the city. The city could also purchase more in the future.
