By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Juab County Commissioners agreed to give permission to
Mona City Council members to lower the speed limit on Main
Street, which is a county road.
In addition, the commission will ask county deputies
to patrol the street more heavily and ticket all those who
exceed the speed limit.
"We need to see that more officers are in Mona during
the critical times of the day," said Robert Steele,
commissioner.
"We can also ask the Utah Highway Patrol to help
ticket those who speed," said Wm. Boyd Howarth, commission
chair.
Rick Schnurr, Mona City Council member, requested that
the commission help the community with traffic problems
which affect the safety of children as they travel to and
from school.
He said he was attending the commission meeting at the
behest of the PTA at the elementary school. In addition,
there was another group who thought the 35 mph speed limit
was still excessive and could be lowered further.
"The county road is regulated by the county and,
therefore, the commission should have the authority to set
the speed limit," said David Leavitt, county attorney.
However, he said, he would review the law and would report
back to commissioners.
The speed limit, even at 35 mph, is high for the way
people travel.
"We wrote letters to the trucks that rumble through
our town and for a time the truck drivers slowed down, but
now we are asking you to direct that officers ticket
offenders and not just give them warning tickets."
The council was also interested in a flashing signal
sign that would alert motorists that school was in session.
The sign should cost the community approximately $1,500 to
install and the community would pay for it.
Part of the problem was continued growth on the end of
the community where the school was located. Two new
subdivisions are building in that area and more children
will be affected.
The community is going from a small rural town to an
intermediate community and was experiencing some growing
pains as a result.
"The county highway is our Main Street, and the state
highway comes down to our town from the freeway," said
Schnurr.
He told commissioners that the community had applied
for a state grant to assist in making the walk to school
safe for children of the community. However, the council had
been told that the state needed to wait until school started
to evaluate the need.
"The city will do all the work and will pay the costs
but we do need county permission," said Schnurr.
He said one of the problems is that the 35 mph speed
limit is never obeyed. No matter that the "reduce speed"
signs were posted, no one ever seemed to slow before the
bend in the road on Main Street.
"The people who live there can do some things to
help," said Bob Garrett, county road superintendent, "Kids
need to be educated that the street is not a
playground."
In addition, he said, residents put their garbage cans
out on the white line which does not leave room for the
youth to walk to the side of the road. Snow is also a
problem, because no child wants to walk in the snow when the
plowed road is available.
Pedestrian cross walks were not always effective, he
said.
"Sometimes they give kids a false sense of security
and statistics show that there are less accidents without
cross walks."
As for a school zone being designated along the
street, the commission will have to investigate that matter
and see if they have the authority to do that.
"I think the school district has to request a school
zone," said Garrett. "We painted double yellow lines in the
center of the street, erected two signs and moved the lower
speed limit out further."
Nephi had a speed limit on Main Street that was not
well observed, said Steele.
Mona does have narrower streets than Nephi and there
is not a wide shoulder along the edge of the road,
therefore, speed reduction is even more important there than
in Nephi.
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