CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Neighborhoods are supposed to be a place where kids can play outside, and parents feel safe letting them do it. But in Clarksville, so many drivers are speeding down neighborhood streets, that this isn't always a possibility.
However, this could be changing. Clarksville leaders vowed to crack down on drivers speeding through neighborhood streets.
"I’ve seen people at least go 40 or 50," Patrick Booker, who lives in the Page Estates neighborhood, said. "I was walking my dog the other night, I almost got ran off the road. It’s crazy over here."
Starting July 1, the default speed of all neighborhood streets will go down from 30 mph to 20 mph. The consequences of violating those speed limits are also going way up.
"Offenders are staring at a 500 dollar maximum plus costs," Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts said.
Currently, the city only fines neighborhood speeders $50. Starting July 1, the fine can be up to $500.
"500 dollars is real money in my house," said Mayor Pitts.
City leaders are able to do this thanks to a new state law that Clarksville lawmakers helped pass. The law allows traffic tickets to be heard in General Sessions Court, which is a state and county court, instead of City Court, which has a limit of just $50 fines.
"I’m hoping that it will get people’s attention, especially those who are doing the speeding, and if they get issued a ticket maybe make them think twice about it," Mayor Pitts said.
Booker loves the idea, given the fact he has a young son.
"I think about him a lot when I see that type of behavior," Booker said. "People are going to think twice before they speed. I think that’s a good solution."
Once the law goes into effect, other communities can opt into the program to send traffic tickets to General Sessions Court.
