Mattydale (WSYR-TV) - Residents who live along Factory Avenue in Mattydale think drivers are going past their homes too fast because there are no speed limit signs posted.
As drivers make their way home from work in the evening, and others hop on their motorcycles to enjoy the nice weather, Factory Avenue gets very busy. Don DeGrand lives along Factory Avenue, and says he is concerned by the speed at which drivers and bikers pass by his home and family. "Our granddaughter is here a lot, we babysit her a lot. She's always playing here," he said.
DeGrand thinks that in addition to the lack of signage, the layout of the neighborhood may have something to do with the speed. "It's basically a straight away here, and a little bit of a curve up there, and then another big straight away down there at the other end. It's just a straight shot," he said.
Even DeGrand didn't know the actual speed limit for Factory Avenue, because there isn't a speed limit posted. When NewsChannel 9's Jan Carabeo told him Monday the limit was 55 miles per hour, he was surprised. "I always thought it was 40 near this end of it," he said.
The law dictates that if there's no posted sign in an area, the speed limit is 55 miles per hour. Drivers who don't observe the limit can get ticketed, even if there is no sign.
Salina Supervisor Mark Nicotra says he is already working to get a sign posted along Factory Avenue. He also says he'll be working with the county and Sheriff's Department to see if he can get some more patrols into the area as well, to stop those that speed.
State Police say many rural roads don't have posted signs. In all of those cases, the limit would be 55 miles per hour.
So far, State Police and Sheriff's Deputies there have been no serious accidents along Factory Avenue due to speed, but DeGrand fears that may not be the case if a change isn't made soon. He says he wants "to get people to slow down before someone gets hurt."
