News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Algood residents gathered at city hall Tuesday night to voice their concerns about speeding and reckless driving.
Residents from streets all across Algood said they feel unsafe in their neighborhood because of the issue. Residents from Old Walton Road, Cooper Road, Quinland Lake Road all had the same issues with drivers going over the speed limit and running stop signs.
One resident asked Police Chief Dale Armour how he thinks the problem could be solved.
“I’ve got enforcement, I can do enforcement with what resources I have,” Armour said. “The next thing we’re going to have out here is education, we brought a guy with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office here. The other thing is infrastructure, do you all want to put these things up? We met with a company today that can put speed cameras up.”
Armour said the one issue with speed cameras is that under state law, they can only be put in S-curves and in school zones during school time. Armour said that discussion has begun with the city attorney about the legality of a city ordinance being created.
Armour said he did have some statistics from locations where speeds are being tracked.
The numbers referenced are for Brookside Drive.
“In nine days we had 1,742 cars go past and the average speed was 18 miles an hour. The highest speed in those nine days was 40 miles per hour and that was me at 5:30 AM responding to a suicide by cop call,” Armour said. “We have an eight percent enforcement. Opposite side, the other side of Brookside in nine days there were 2,849 cars passed. The average speed was 18 and it was not me but 44 miles an hour was the highest speed in nine days.”
Armour said he does agree with residents that there is a speeding issue in Algood. Multiple residents said there needs to be more police officers for traffic enforcement, but Armour said in order to add five officers ready to work patrol it would cost roughly $500,000.
