Slow down: County votes to reduce speed on three roads
Anderson County Commissioners Joshua Anderson, Denise Palmer, Robert McKamey, Jerry White and Anthony Allen stand for the Pledge of Allegiance before the Jan. 29 com- mission meeting. (photo:Ben Pounds )
Traffic on Mountain Vista Road, High View Lane and Gray Horse Lane will now be limited to 15 mph.
The vote took place during the commission’s meeting at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.
Commissioner Tim Isbel made the motion and Commissioner Steven Verran seconded.
It passed unanimously, although Commissioner Michael Foster was absent.
“These roads are curvy, they’re narrow and they’re getting complaints of speeders,” Road Committee Chairman Jerry White said regarding the reasoning for lowering the roads’ speed limit.
“It’s needed for the safety of the residents there.”
He told The Courier News that the Anderson County Highway Department will install the new speed limit signs by the end of this week.
Speed limit changes start out as recommendations from the Sheriff’s Office or the county road superintendent.
The recommendations then go to the county Road Committee.
The county commission must give final approval to any county road speed limit changes.
Anderson County Law Director Jay Yeager gave these details at the Jan. 29 meeting.
Memos in the meeting agenda said the suggestions for all three roads came in response to “calls from the community for the speed limit to be checked and possibly changed,” and after the Sheriff’s Office patrolled them.
White said the County Commission often lowers speed limits from 35 to 25. However, the county may lower it all the way to 15 mph in narrower, more high-traffic areas like the three roads approved at the meeting.
He said the county government wanted to make conditions safer for residents along these roads to pull out of their driveways.
“I think the Sheriff’s Department is aware of a lot of speeders on our highways, on our rural roads,” White said.
“Most of our roads are very narrow,” he said.
“And the Sheriff’s Department can’t be everywhere all the time.”
He said people should realize that roads marked 15 mph are dangerous, and people should drive on them with caution.