FRANKLIN, Pa. (EYT) — At Monday evening’s meeting, the Franklin City Council approved a motion to move forward on traffic impediments to deter speeders in the Otter Street area.

The Council first took into consideration the traffic surveys sent out to twenty homes in the Otter Street area most affected by speeding drivers.

City Manager Tracy Jamieson noted that only eight of the twenty surveys were returned. The majority was in agreement that speeding and increased traffic have become a problem following last summer’s change, making Franklin Avenue from 13th to 14th Streets one-way.

Five of the surveys supported adding a stop sign at 14th and Elk Streets, four supported lowering the speed limit, and three supported the addition of speed humps.

Although lowering the speed limit was one of the measures favored in the surveys, the council set that idea aside early in the discussion.

“Personally, I’m not in favor of lowering the speed, because it’s only going to be as good as the person behind the steering wheel,” Council member Jim Marshall noted.

One resident of the affected area, Robert Cerro, attended the meeting and spoke in favor of the speed hump measure, stating, “I’m in favor of speed humps for a specific reason: it’s permanent, it’s a one-time cost, and it also curtails the amount of traffic coming up the street. Most people know they’re there. It also curtails the speeders.”

Following some discussion of the options, including either permanent or temporary speed humps, the Council members voted 5-1 in favor of a measure combining the installation of a stop sign at the 14th and Elk Street intersection for southbound traffic, as well as the placement of temporary speed humps in the 1300 block of Otter Street.

Mayor Doug Baker, Fred Mays, James Johnson, Sam Lyons, and Jim Marshall, voted in favor of the motion. Donna Fletcher did not approve of the full traffic measure, stating, “I would like to see just the speed humps.”

City Manager Tracy Jamieson also stated that using temporary speed humps will allow the council and the local residents to see how speed humps affect the traffic pattern in the area before considering committing to permanent speed humps after the road is milled and paved next year.