Philly Neighborhood Fed Up with Speeding, So Residents Took Matters Into Their Own Hands

Residents of one street in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood were fed up with speeders, so they decided to band together to address the problem. That's until someone complained about them to the police.

The 1200 block of Crease Street in Fishtown is a one-way street where kids often play outside, riding bikes and scooters through the neighborhood. Residents say the problem on their street is speeding motorists.

FOX 29 News spoke with one resident, Tony Colantonio, who said that part of the speeding problem is that the neighborhood has grown significantly. He believes old traffic laws are not designed for today's neighborhoods.

Residents here said they've done just about everything they can to curtail speeding on the street. They even installed removable speed bumps. Several people from the neighborhood installed one at Thompson Street. And another at Girard Avenue at the end of their block.

While the speed bumps were effective in slowing down cars, someone complained to the police about the self-installed speed bumps. So they were removed from the street. 

In interviews with FOX 29 News, residents said they're frustrated with the speeding problem. They want the city to act before someone is hurt.

Residents said they are open to any safety suggestions the city believes would work. Currently, everyone yells "Car!" to warn their children when a vehicle drives down the street. They report they've been having conversations with City Council members and are hopeful they'll reach a solution.

"In an ideal world, we'd love legal speed bumps. That is our main goal," said Justine Miller.

FOX 29 News said it has contacted the Streets Department for comment but has not received a reply.

Speeding is a concern in other areas of the Philadelphia region. Last month, the New York Post reported that Montgomery Township, outside Philadelphia, painted curved roadway markings down Grays Lane, a residential street, as a "traffic calming" initiative that township officials there hope will curb excessive speeding. In this case, not all residents agree that the curving lines are the solution to the community's speeding problem.

"I think speed bumps would have gone a lot further as far as slowing people down on this road in particular," said resident William King in an interview with CBS News Philadelphia.