Speeders on Martha Road raise the ire of residents

A Martha Road resident is worried that a child is going to get hurt or killed if the city can’t curb speeders there.

A parent came before the Columbia Falls city council last week volunteering to put speed bumps in the road, which serves a host of apartments and multi-family housing along its stretch.

Over the past few weeks, there have been numerous complaints about speeding on the road. The city put up a speed sign that shows a person how fast they’re going and what the speed limit is. It’s designed to warn motorists to slow down, as it flashes when someone is going over the speed limit.

But on Martha Road, motorists were actually speeding up to see how fast they could go before crossing the sign. One problem with Martha Road is it’s wide and straight, which makes speeding all the easier.

Columbia Falls police have stepped up patrols in the area. The parent volunteered to put in speed bumps on the road, but city manager Susan Nicosia said they might just go around them and onto the sidewalk, making the problem even worse.

She said it was a priority for the city to do something and council concurred it was a priority for them as well.