BALTIMORE — Herkimer Street in the Morrell Park neighborhood is usually quiet. That is, until a car goes whizzing by.
The speed limit is 15 miles per hour. But numerous videos provided to WMAR-2 News show drivers don't seem to be following the rules of the road.
"I've done seen numerous pets get hit. I've almost been hit a few times myself. I just know that it's gonna end up eventually being somebody's child," neighbor Charlie Monroe said. “I’m just hoping that something gets done before it's too late.”
Hear Morrell Park neighbors voice their concerns in regards to speeding in the area
Monroe says he and other neighbors have wanted speed bumps for decades as drivers have used the street as a cut through to avoid traffic on Washington Boulevard.
"You can count on 10 cars in 10 minutes flying down here because they're beating the red light," neighbor Wayne Veit said.
Though DOT does not have any record of a speed study on the street, Veit remembers seeing and speaking to a city employee on site about 10 years ago to check out if speed deterrents were needed.
But he says it was the wrong time.
"So, the guy is sitting there and I says, well, you gotta be here in the afternoon or on the weekend. Oh no, the city does not pay me overtime. If nobody gets speeding here during lunchtime or whatever, then we're not gonna do it," Veit said. "But that don't make no sense."
Baltimore DOT representative Kathy Dominick says a speed study on Herkimer Street is being expedited and is expected to be completed by the end of this week, weather permitting.
Last year, Baltimore DOT installed 145 speed humps.
The agency considers factors like vehicle speeds, crash history, proximity to schools, parks and nursing homes as well as roadway geometric considerations for speed hump installation.
Since 2022, the city has received thousands of similar requests through 311 for traffic calming measures which includes speed humps, but also speed limit signage and lane narrowing as well.
It can take 90 business days for a speed study to be completed, but the agency acknowledges due to the significant volume of requests they do not always meet that deadline "though we strive to" DOT reported to WMAR-2 News via email.
BCDOT encourages residents to always submit traffic calming requests through 311.
