Despite an increase in police patrol and the installation of a new “hidden driveway” sign attached to the 35 mph speed limit posting, speeding on Daisy Dallas Road continues to be a concern.
Residents whose driveways are located on the blind curve near Melville Baptist Church are especially anxious to find some type of solution to a problem they feel is only worsening.
James Casto, who owns the properties at 9042 and 9048 Daisy Dallas Road, had complained to the Soddy-Daisy Commission about the problem last month, which helped prompt the additional speed patrol by police and the new sign.
Soddy-Daisy Police Chief Phil Hamrick said at the Jan. 5 meeting he had stopped more than 40 cars on the road in the days prior, indicating the methods enacted by the commission to curb speeding have not been effective.
Casto wrote a letter to the the Commission read by Mayor Jim Adams at the Jan. 5 meeting, which informed them of his willingness to contribute $1,000 of his own money to have a sign with flashing lights installed near the blind curve to warn drivers to slow down.
He also gave the Police Department permission to set up a speed trap on his property, which he said could help provide revenue for the sign or other needs.
Four families live on his properties, where he is currently staying as well in order to fix up one of the units. He said the visibility from the driveway is only 20 yards.
“I risk it just like everyone else,” said Casto, who has owned the property for five years. “It’s really a dangerous situation and somebody’s going to get hurt.”
Cecil H. Johnson has owned his property at the corner of Gann and Daisy Dallas roads since the 1970s and has lived there for the past six years, during which time he said seven or eight cars have wrecked into his yard trying to avoid hitting cars pulling out onto Daisy Dallas around the blind curve.
He wants a guard rail put up to keep speeding cars from digging ditches in the yard.
He said he had a problem with cars knocking down his mailbox, which stopped when the post office asked the mailbox be moved to Gann Road because the carrier did not feel safe stopping on Daisy Dallas.
Sheira Goodwin, who has lived on Casto’s property for almost seven years, has also had issues with her mail.
“Our postman will not come up our driveway,” said Goodwin, who picks up her packages at the post office. “They deemed it unsafe three years ago.”
“They need to reduce the speed limit and patrol it,” said Johnson. “From where I live all the way up to the railroad [Daisy Dallas from the Gann Road intersection to Harrison Lane] it’s all hidden driveways.”
He said he has not seen any improvement since the hidden driveway sign was installed.
Casto said he would like the speed limit to be reduced and hopes a traffic light will be installed at Gann Road.
“When we first moved here, [Daisy Dallas] was a little country road,” said Goodwin, who blames the new fast food restaurants, drug stores and other businesses going in near the Walmart for the increase in traffic. “All of a sudden we became the thoroughfare for everyone.”
She said lowering the speed limit wouldn’t do any good, because no one would pay attention. She would like speed bumps to be installed to deter traffic from using the road.
“If I were the city of Soddy-Daisy, I would get someone out here to do an evaluation,” said Goodwin. “I keep saying Soddy-Daisy will do something about it when someone gets killed.”
Mayor Adams said at the Jan. 5 meeting the commission would check on the price of a sign with flashing lights before the next meeting, which is at City Hall Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. Citizens are welcome to attend to voice their opinion.