Ringgold residents in the Bluff View subdivision have raised concerns to the city council over speeding in the neighborhood and the lack of an enforced speed limit.
Councilwoman Rhonda Swaney, who has lived in the Bluff View subdivision for two decades, said speeding there has always been an issue.
"It's gotten to the point of it being ridiculous," she said.
The police department's hands are tied - based on the 20 mph speed limit, low sight distance and narrow roads within the neighborhood, state law does not allow the use of radar devices, Mayor Nick Millwood said at the Jan. 27 council meeting.
But while these rules apply to municipalities, the Georgia State Patrol is not bound by them.
In an effort to curb speeding, the city has purchased a $2,500 system to collect speeding data, which the city will share with GSP, including when and where speeding most often occurs.
Millwood said he is working to find out what would need to happen for the city to be able to patrol the streets with its own police department, but it's turning out to be more difficult than he thought.
Ringgold Councilwoman Sara Clark and Mayor Nick Millwood talk during a work session Monday, July 31, 2017, at the Catoosa County Colonnade in Ringgold, Ga. / Staff file photo by Erin O. Smith"I'm hearing that I might be coming to a dead-end here," he said.
Councilwoman Sara Clark said that while officers cannot write tickets in the neighborhood, they still have the ability to pull drivers over.
"You can't necessarily give a speeding ticket with the radar, but you can stop a car and say, 'You are endangering our citizens,'" Clark said. "Maybe the first step is to get the data and see the times when people are speeding, put somebody there during those times and, nonetheless without radar, stop the car."
It could be meaningful for drivers who may not realize how fast they are driving, she said.
Another idea was to place more stop signs throughout the neighborhood. The council did not vote on any matters, but Millwood said he would provide more updates when possible.
"That is infuriating," he said. "Enforcement is tough."
Email Sabrina Bodon at sbodon@timesfreepress.com.