The newest

stop signs and enhanced speed humps on Golf View Drive have drawn civil

unrest from motorists upset with the changes who feel they are being inconvenienced.

Some people

are so upset that they have vandalized new traffic signs in the area,

costing the city thousands of dollars to replace, according to Mayor Steve

Brown.

The speed humps

originally spanned just one lane at a time, but some motorists would swerve

into the oncoming traffic lane to avoid them. So the humps were lengthened

to cross the entire roadway, and the speed limit was shrunk to 20 mph

for the entire length of Golf View.

The humps were

also raised because sport utility vehicles with well-equipped suspensions

could navigate them quickly without slowing down.

That got the

protesters going, along with a hand-drawn sign urging unhappy motorists

to "honk" in protest as they travel along Golf View Drive.

While Golf

View residents have petitioned the city council numerous times for help

in slowing down traffic, the council had the final say on what changes

would be made.

Brown pointed

out that the changes to Golf View are part of the city's new traffic calming

program, which is in the "pilot" stage.

The mayor said

he decided in favor of the changes by considering the safety of citizens

in the Golf View area. He has heard reports that traffic has slowed so

much that Golf View residents are doing pedestrian activities on the street

again.

"This

is a public safety matter of the highest order regarding a dense, highly

populated area of senior citizens," Brown said. "... I think

we have a duty as a society to look out for our seniors. And if that means

slowing traffic down to a reasonable speed than so be it. And I am adamant

about that."

Brown reasons

that the inconvenience to motorists is far outweighed by the safety concerns.

"We've

kind of returned their quality of life," Brown said.

Prior to the

speed humps and additional stop signs, Golf View residents told council

of numerous occasions of speeding vehicles which would leave the roadway,

plowing down mailboxes and in some cases nearly missing residents who

worked in their yards.

Some citizens

upset about the new speed humps and stop signs have told city officials

that Golf View residents should have known about the traffic hazards when

they moved in. But many residents there have lived there a long time,

before the "cut through" traffic became a problem, Brown said.

"They

used to have block parties in the street," before the Blue Smoke

Trace street was connected to Golf View, Brown said.