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Macon neighbors say speed bumps needed to stop fast drivers in south Bibb County

For both roads to qualify for speed bumps, the traffic study will need to show enough drivers going at least 36 miles per hour or more.

MACON, Ga. — Some people in south Macon want speed bumps in their neighborhood to help protect children there.

We spoke to District 6's commissioner, and a neighbor who explains what he sees almost every day.

At the corner of Lawrence Drive South and School Road, you'll find a church and a school just on the other side. However, neighbors say people still fly through this area and bring their speed into other neighborhoods.

Dick Heard lives in the neighborhood.

Most of the time, you'll catch him working outside, close to the traffic.

"I'm scared I am going to get hit by a car the way they are flying up and down the road," Heard said. "It wasn't too long ago we had a car fly through the front yard, go through the ditch, almost hit the Georgia Power box out by the road, and tore up the mailbox."

Heard believes speed bumps would help slow folks down.

"They don't have to be the regular hump-type speed breaks. They can be like those big, long table speed breaks," Heard said.

District 6 County Commissioner Bill Howell also notices the speeding.

He scheduled a traffic study for Heard's neighborhood, which includes Sandy Circle and Lawrence Drive South.

"The traffic study is going to tell us how many cars travel up and down and what the average speed is of how many cars travel up and down," Howell said.

For both roads to qualify for speed bumps, he says the traffic study will need to show enough drivers going at least 36 miles per hour or more.

"I'm not going to be an advocate either way. I am going to show the figures and facts show what we are going to do on this, but if speed-breakers are what the community or the street particularly want, then that's what we are going to do," Howell said.

Heard said he'll be signing the petition.

"I hope by doing this study, with the amount of traffic on this road and amount of vehicles, something will be done before somebody gets hurt or a small child gets hit," Heard said.

Once the county completes the traffic study, and if the study shows there are enough people driving in the area and those people are driving over 11 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit, then people who live on Lawrence Drive South and Sandy Circle will vote on whether they want the speed bumps or not.

Commissioner Howell says the petition will need to show more than 70 percent of the neighborhood agreeing before the county can put in speed bumps.

The traffic study is taking place this week and into next week.

Howell says the county will pay for the project.

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