TOWN OF ALDERSON POST OFFICE BOX 179 CITY BUILDING—202 SOUTH MONROE STREET ALDERSON, WEST VIRGINIA 24910 TELEPHONE (304) 445-2916 NEWS RELEASE - 7-13-2019

Contact:  Mayor Travis Copenhaver 304-445-2916 / Margaret Hambrick 304-646-2439

Last   night,   a   concerned   delegation   of   parents   and   grandparents   presented   council   with   the   plea   for   speed regulation on our newly paved streets. Accordingly,   council   has   authorized   me   to   remedy   the   issues   they   presented.   While   some   may   think   it’s   an easy   quick   fix   to   simply   install   something   like   is   seen   here   from   Lewisburg,   it   is   not.   (see   photo   below) There are a host of issues to take into consideration and study before something like this can be done. We   have   spent   millions   of   dollars   to   fix   drainage,   flood,   and   pavement   issues   over   the   last   couple   of   years. The   engineers   specified   things   to   make   the   water   flow   to   the   new   drains   that   was   carried   out   when   we paved over repairs. To   blindly   just   “go   put   speed   humps   or   bumps”   would   undermine   the   work   and   purpose   of   slope   and asphalt   lays   in   some   places.   That   having   been   said,   the   appropriate   department   leaders   and   I   will   be looking at temporary and permanent solutions to the problems raised last night. One   immediate   thing   I   have   done,   as   of   this   morning,   is   to   request   all   police   officers   to   saturate   all   of   our side   streets   and   residential   areas   with   the   primary   purpose   of   speed   enforcement.   Therefor,   this   shall serve   as   public   notice,   the   posted   speed   limits   on   side   streets   in   Alderson   is   25   miles   per   hour   unless otherwise posted (school zone is 15). The   court   costs   and   fines   associated   with   a   speeding   ticket   in Alderson   is   $125.00.   In   previous   years,   our reports   prove   we   are   not   a   “speed   trap”   and   on   average   write   less   than   25   speeding   tickets   a   year.   There is   one   way   to   avoid   being   cited,   slow   down.   Our   officers   are   certified   in   the   use   of   radar   and   our   units   are certified as well. We meet the state code for primary use of radar for stops. There   will   be   no   breaks   or   exceptions   on   side   streets   because   of   the   immediate   public   safety   issues.   25 miles   per   hour   means   25   miles   per   hour. The   primary   purpose   of   enforcement   of   any   motor   vehicle   code   is safety.   In   this   case   protection   of   the   children   we   love   to   see   playing   by   the   streets.   Of   course,   parents have   a   duty   to   protect   their   children   and   keep   them   out   of   the   streets   as   well,   but   a   ball   or   runaway   child can cause issues that the driver and parent do not want to see happen. Please obey the speed limits, don’t drive distracted, and do your part to help us all make our streets safe. Thank you for your time and attention. Travis

Speeding In Alderson? - You Better Not!