FCPOA Letter to the Editor and Speed Hump Survey
Traffic Safety in Forest Cove
The most critical issue facing Forest Cove is the division of opinions regarding the speed humps that have been installed (and removed) within the subdivision by the City of Houston. This issue (which is actually about traffic safety, rather than speed humps) must be resolved so that we can get rid of the neighbor vs. neighbor divisiveness that has occurred.
Houston Mayor Lee P. Brown's office has recently advised the Forest Cove Property Owners Association (FCPOA) that the philosophy of the Neighborhood Oriented Government is to have local communities resolve this type of issue and to have the community advise his administration of the local preference.
In light of this, the FCPOA board is planning to do the following to
determine the will of the Forest Cove community:
1) At the regular monthly meeting of the FCPOA on June 22, 2000, the floor
will be opened to all residents to state their views, pros and con, on the
speed humps issue.
2) A survey form will be handed out at the meeting to document the views
of the community concerning various traffic safety alternatives. One survey
will be provided to each property owner in attendance.
3) After reviewing the comments and survey data the board will present their
recommendation to the City of Houston.
4) Rafael Hernandez, the president of the FCPOA, is asking that for the
sake of expediency, that those residents with a similar point of view appoint
a spokesperson to present their side of the issue. This will go a long way
toward eliminating a great deal of redundancy and keep the meeting time
within reasonable bounds.
5) We intend to discuss these issues in a civilized manner. While we don't
expect everyone to agree, we do expect everyone involved to show respect
for each other's opinions.
The FCPOA board has had numerous discussions about this subject, and
has identified some of the pros and cons concerning speed humps. These include:
· Reduced traffic on streets with speed humps
· Slower traffic on streets with speed humps
· Somewhat reduced overall through traffic in the subdivision.
· Slower traffic is safer for joggers, walkers, bike riders.
· Increased traffic on alternate routes in the subdivision that lack
speed humps.
· Slower emergency vehicles response times (more turns if alternate
routes are taken)
· Damage to emergency equipment.
· Increased risks associated with speed humps as road hazards.
· Increased wear & tear on vehicle brakes, shocks, suspension.
· Increased pollution.
· Inconvenience to all drivers
· Alternative speed limit enforcement slows down speeders on all
roads, not just those with humps.
· Speed humps are expensive to install (and remove).
We have also agreed to some basic premises that we feel are important:
1) With respect to traffic issues, safety is our primary concern.
2) We do not advocate traffic management solutions that simply move the
problem from one street in Forest Cove to a different street in Forest Cove.
3) We support solutions that minimize the total amount of traffic in the
subdivision, especially through traffic from outside of Forest Cove.
4) We must consider the overall needs of the subdivision.
5) Those property owners that are most directly affected should be given
sufficient consideration in the decision process.
6) While efficient traffic flow is of concern, all streets in Forest Cove
are residential, and as such, individual safety and well being should given
the highest priority.
The questions that will be on the survey are attached, but if there is insufficient space to print them all, please let your readers know that they can be previewed on the web at http://forestcove,vonl.com.
Finally, we ask everyone who drives through the Forest Cove subdivision to please follow the "Golden Rule of driving" in our residential neighborhood: Drive past your neighbor's home as you would have them drive past yours.
Sincerely,
Forest Cove Property Owners Association
Rafael Hernandez, President
Forest Cove Property Owners Association 6/22/00
Traffic Safety Survey:
Do you think that there is a general traffic problem in Forest Cove? yes
no
Do you think that traffic problems are worse on some streets than others?
yes no
Do you think that the speed humps on one street affect the traffic on other
streets? yes no
Do you think that property owners on adjacent streets should have input
as to whether speed humps are installed? yes no
Are you concerned about the effect that speed humps have on emergency response
time? yes no
Are you concerned about the danger of injuries due to speed humps? yes no
Do you believe that the advantages of speed humps outweigh the disadvantages?
yes no
Do you favor increased police presence to enforce traffic laws? yes no
Do you think that increased police presence is a better solution than speed
humps to address traffic safety? yes no
Do you believe that the Houston Police will provide the necessary manpower
to control speeding to the same extent that speed humps do? yes no
Would you prefer NOT to have ANY speed humps in Forest Cove? yes no
Do you think that there should be speed humps on ALL through streets in
Forest Cove? yes no
Do you favor removal of speed humps from: (choose one or more)
Walnut Palmetto Burning Tree Do not remove any humps
Do you live on a street that currently has speed humps? yes no
On which street do you live? ___________________________________________________________
What do you consider to be a safe speed limit on the residential streets
in Forest Cove (in MPH)?
15 20 25 30 35 40
By how much do you think people generally exceed the posted speed limit
(in MPH)?
0 2 4 5 7 10 15 20
Do you think the speed limit should be reduced on any of the following streets
in Forest Cove? (choose one or more)
1. Walnut Dr.(currently 30 mph)
2. Forest Cove Dr. (currently 30 mph)
3. Hamblen Rd. East (Residential, East of Forest Cove Dr, currently 35 mph)
4. Other _________________________________________________
5. All Streets
What do you think the speed limit should be on Hamblen West of Forest Cove
Dr. (non-residential, currently 35 mph)?
30 35 40 45 50 55
Do you think the Police department should focus less on the speed trap on
West Hamblen road, and more on enforcing traffic laws on the residential
streets in Forest Cove? yes no
Do you think that stop signs should be used to slow down traffic? yes no
Do you think that stop signs should only be used at intersections that have
sufficient cross traffic to warrant them? yes no
Do you think that Trailwood residents should be able to use Forest Cove
streets since Forest Cove residents use Trailwood streets. yes no
Would you favor a cooperative safety program with Trailwood subdivision?
yes no
Are you in favor of reducing the overall amount of through traffic in Forest
Cove? yes no
Would you be in favor of diverting traffic problems off of your street if
you knew that that same traffic problem was being transferred to another
street in Forest Cove? yes no
Do you favor connecting Hamblen Road to Woodland Hills, even if it would
increase the amount of through traffic for residents living on Hamblen Road?
yes no