What You Can Do To Fight These Speed Bumps
Exercise your right to demand both information and answers.
We've been doing just that. The longer we fail to see answers from our county, the more apparent it will become to all of us that they aren't being accountable. When we get the answers we've asked for, we'll share them here. Help us spend the word about the site. Download a printable .pdf flier about beep4bumps.com here.
Bring fliers to church, bring them to your neighbors, post them at the Albertson's Grocery Store. Anything you can do to help will get us closer to stopping a select few of your neighbors from 
privatizing the road you use to get home.
Ask your Kitsap County Commissioners for the studies that show the necessity of the speed bumps. We've heard from Steve Bauer once and we've heard nothing form the other two, Josh Brown and Jan Angel. We're tired of their silence on this issue. Steve Bauer is suppose to represent our interests in North Kitsap County, yet he doesn't return phone calls or answer multiple emails.
We've built this light-hearted "Wanted Poster" to let you know how we're feeling about our commissioner so far on this issue.
Ask your government for full disclosure. Was there a public hearing on these speed bumps? Can we see the transcripts of the public hearing if there was one?
How many deaths, injuries, or accidents involving property damage have occurred at the site of these new speed bumps? Has anyone studied this?
Did our commissioners study all of the roads in North Kitsap County? Or just the roads with the "squeaky wheels?" What about snow removal? What about ice? What about commuters on motorcycles? These roads need to be widened, not obstructed! Let your voices be heard. And thank you for supporting beep4bumps.com.
Here's what we at www.beep4bumps.com wrote to Kitsap County Commissioner Steve Bauer on Oct. 23, 2007. We're still waiting for his response.
Hi Steve,
Attached is a notice for a public hearing regarding speed limit changes on Hansville Road back in June. It would be useful to me if you could provide me with the transcripts from that hearing. Speed limits affect the amount of time it takes me to travel to and from my home.
More importantly, however, I couldn't find a public hearing notice for the "traffic calming" devices. I searched, but no luck. Obviously there would have been a public hearing by Kitsap County on these radical changes to a public road; especially one that's a thoroughfare.
Please forward that notice or notices (if there were more than one hearing) to me and my neighbors. I'm also requesting that you send me copies of the transcripts of the public hearing(s) that dealt with the "traffic calming" devices. Please also send any related county records dealing with the "traffic calming" program. Things like their cost, contracts related to their installation, etc..
I'm asking this of you because you are our Commissioner. If this is someone else's responsibility, to provide these records, then I'd request that you help us by forwarding our request to the appropriate party and following through to see that it happens. I'm a pretty busy person as are my neighbors. I'm hoping you can work on our behalf and provide us with these documents.
It is important that my neighbors and I see the discussions that Kitsap County had with community members so that we can learn more about the Commission's decision making process. These road obstructions, when traveling them day after day after day after day after day after day after day, have a significant cumulative impact on the quality of our rural lives in Hansville and Driftwood Key.
I want to make these public records easily available by link or actual download file to anyone visiting my www.beep4bumps.com website. Since I'm having trouble finding them, I'm sure others are as well.
Oh, and while you're pulling up records, I'd also like you to provide me with copies of all the records related to the illegal posting of 25 MPH signs along Hood Canal Drive a few years ago. I'd like to know, for example, if anyone was brought up on charges regarding that incident. And if not, why not. I know that Kitsap County had to refund and invalidate a number of speeding tickets that were improperly written for that stretch of road. I'm sure it was not just an embarrassment for the county, but a costly incident as well. I'd like to read about how it got resolved and provide that to my readers.
Is Friday, October 26th, a reasonable amount of time for you to get me those documents?
Also, I've asked Kathleen Bourassa for copies all of the studies, records, transcripts, etc., that her committee was responsible for. She said she'd provide them so that will be helpful as well. I'm hoping she can do that by the end of this week or certainly by sometime next week. It's all pretty recent so they can't be too far buried.
Thanks in advance for your cooperation. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
--John Hostvedt
Here's the complete text of an email I got from State Rep. Christine Rolfes:
John,
I read about your speed bumps in the Herald this morning.
I passed along your concerns to Commissioner Bauer's office, and know
that you two are now in communication. My assistant also spoke with
Public Works. I've forwarded some background from them, which you may
already have received. At this point, it looks like this is a
county/community issue that needs to be resolved. Please let me know if I can be
of assistance in the future.
Sincerely,
Rep. Christine Rolfes
Public Works contact:
Jonathon Brand, P.E.
Assistant Public Works Director - County Engineer
Kitsap County Department of Public Works
360-337-5777
www.kitsapgov.com/pw
>>> "P.Pinkham@froggsnest" <froggsnest@comcast.net> 8:11 AM 10/5/2006
>>>
Commissioner Chris Endresen
619 Division Street MS 4
Port Orchard, WA. 98366
Dear Commissioner Endresen,
This letter is to follow up our speed mitigation proposal for the
greater Hansville area previously sent to you.
Our proposal as stated is:
North End; Twin Spits Road, Hansville neighborhood:
Installation of speed tables or other physical traffic calming
devises covering the area from the southerly entrance to "downtown"
Hansville, then around the corner and to just below the crest of the
hill on Twin Spits Road. Installation of a mini -round at the
intersection of Buck Lake Road and Point No Point Road.
South End; Hood Canal Drive, NE, and Bridgeview:
Installation of speed tables or other physical traffic calming
devices on Hood Canal Drive in the Cliffside Community section
between Bridgeview and the turn onto Cliffside, on Bridgeview (so
that traffic is not re-routed to avoid devices on Hood Canal Dr.) and
in the straightaway on Hood Canal Dr. between Bridgeview and the
hairpin turn.
Our vision is to strategically place a few speed tables spaced over
the lengths of these areas to prevent vehicles from reaching
excessive speeds. We recognize that given the lengths of road
involved in these two areas, putting speed tables every 200 feet
throughout those entire lengths would be impractical and expensive.
Since April our main priority has been to research and resolve the
chronic and dangerous speeding through the neighborhoods of Hansville
(Twin Spits Road) and Cliffside to the hairpin turn (Hood Canal
Drive). We have implemented, and continue to do so, multiple
educational 'campaigns' in local newspapers as well as using a
County
loaned radar reader-board. We have received increased traffic
patrols from the Sheriff's office. However, we have been repeatedly
told by law enforcement and County officials that the only really
effective solution is physical traffic calming devices.
We also have checked with the Fire and Emergency Department and have
their support for physical traffic calming devices with the exception
of speed bumps.
We requested and received a seven day traffic survey on Twin Spits
Road and Hood Canal Drive, with the following results.
On Hood Canal Drive in the Cliffside neighborhood the total number of
vehicles for the week was 8,897. Approximately 85% of those vehicles
exceeded the posted speed limit of 30 mph. Approximately 31% were
recorded at 10 mph or more over the posted speed limit. In the
interest of safety, a more revealing look shows: 1142 vehicles (163
per day) were speeding 45 mph or more. 188 vehicles (27 per day)
were going 55 mph or more and 20 vehicles (3 per day) were going 70
mph or more! 5 vehicles were recorded traveling in excess of 80 mph
that week.
On Twin Spits Road in the Hansville neighborhood, where the posted
speed limit is 25 mph, the number of vehicles for the week was
14,804. Approximately 93% of the vehicles were exceeding the speed
limit. 807 vehicles (115 per day) were traveling 40 mph or more, 11
vehicles were traveling 60 mph or more with 2 traveling over 70 mph.
A factor to consider in evaluating the statistics is that when there
is a higher volume of traffic, though the percentage of speeders may
be lower, there are still a significant number of vehicles traveling
excessively over the limit and creating a very hazardous situation.
Our committee members have recently canvassed the Cliffside and
Hansville neighborhoods with a petition asking the residents for
their signature if they support the proposed speed tables or other
physical calming devices. We are pleased but not surprised at the
unanimity of the residents' support for our proposal.
The results are that in the Cliffside neighborhood 79% of all
residences were contacted. Of those contacted, 98% signed the
petition. In the Hansville neighborhood approximately 65% of
households and businesses have been contacted and of those, 97%
signed the petition (survey in process, will have additional results
by mid Oct.) .
We appreciate the efforts of Steve Johnson and the Public Works
Department for their suggestion for signs, RPMs and speed limits
painted on the roadway as methods to lower speeds. While we will
continue to explore these types of measures, we strongly believe the
most effective solution to our speeding problems is the installation
of physical traffic calming devices, i.e. speed tables on Hood Canal
Drive, Bridgeview and Twin Spits Road and the mini-round at the
intersection of Buck Lake Road and Point No Point Road as presented
in our proposal.
We are aware that the classification of our roads may not conform
with the County's guidelines for installation of speed tables.
However, in the overriding interest of safety, our speed limits as
well as the level and pervasiveness of current speeding as shown in
the County's surveys coupled with the strong level of community
support, warrant an exception to those guidelines.
We are eager to have our proposal placed in the upcoming two year
budget. Therefore we would like to move forward quickly to the next
step in implementing our proposal and appreciate your continuing
support.
We look forward to meeting with you soon.
Greater Hansville Road Safety Advisory Committee
Patricia Pinkham and Kathleen Bourassa
Cochairs,
Bob Helbock
Neal Kellner
Jim McClellan
Chris McClellan
Carol Peterson
Barbara Porter
Dody Solaas
Dan Smith
Jo Nelson
Members
John,
I read about your speed bumps in the Herald this morning.
I passed along your concerns to Commissioner Bauer's office, and know
that you two are now in communication. My assistant also spoke with
Public Works. I've forwarded some background from them, which you may
already have received. At this point, it looks like this is a
county/community issue that needs to be resolved. Please let me know if I can be
of assistance in the future.
Sincerely,
Rep. Christine Rolfes
Public Works contact:
Jonathon Brand, P.E.
Assistant Public Works Director - County Engineer
Kitsap County Department of Public Works
360-337-5777
www.kitsapgov.com/pw
>>> "P.Pinkham@froggsnest" <froggsnest@comcast.net> 8:11 AM 10/5/2006
>>>
Commissioner Chris Endresen
619 Division Street MS 4
Port Orchard, WA. 98366
Dear Commissioner Endresen,
This letter is to follow up our speed mitigation proposal for the
greater Hansville area previously sent to you.
Our proposal as stated is:
North End; Twin Spits Road, Hansville neighborhood:
Installation of speed tables or other physical traffic calming
devises covering the area from the southerly entrance to "downtown"
Hansville, then around the corner and to just below the crest of the
hill on Twin Spits Road. Installation of a mini -round at the
intersection of Buck Lake Road and Point No Point Road.
South End; Hood Canal Drive, NE, and Bridgeview:
Installation of speed tables or other physical traffic calming
devices on Hood Canal Drive in the Cliffside Community section
between Bridgeview and the turn onto Cliffside, on Bridgeview (so
that traffic is not re-routed to avoid devices on Hood Canal Dr.) and
in the straightaway on Hood Canal Dr. between Bridgeview and the
hairpin turn.
Our vision is to strategically place a few speed tables spaced over
the lengths of these areas to prevent vehicles from reaching
excessive speeds. We recognize that given the lengths of road
involved in these two areas, putting speed tables every 200 feet
throughout those entire lengths would be impractical and expensive.
Since April our main priority has been to research and resolve the
chronic and dangerous speeding through the neighborhoods of Hansville
(Twin Spits Road) and Cliffside to the hairpin turn (Hood Canal
Drive). We have implemented, and continue to do so, multiple
educational 'campaigns' in local newspapers as well as using a
County
loaned radar reader-board. We have received increased traffic
patrols from the Sheriff's office. However, we have been repeatedly
told by law enforcement and County officials that the only really
effective solution is physical traffic calming devices.
We also have checked with the Fire and Emergency Department and have
their support for physical traffic calming devices with the exception
of speed bumps.
We requested and received a seven day traffic survey on Twin Spits
Road and Hood Canal Drive, with the following results.
On Hood Canal Drive in the Cliffside neighborhood the total number of
vehicles for the week was 8,897. Approximately 85% of those vehicles
exceeded the posted speed limit of 30 mph. Approximately 31% were
recorded at 10 mph or more over the posted speed limit. In the
interest of safety, a more revealing look shows: 1142 vehicles (163
per day) were speeding 45 mph or more. 188 vehicles (27 per day)
were going 55 mph or more and 20 vehicles (3 per day) were going 70
mph or more! 5 vehicles were recorded traveling in excess of 80 mph
that week.
On Twin Spits Road in the Hansville neighborhood, where the posted
speed limit is 25 mph, the number of vehicles for the week was
14,804. Approximately 93% of the vehicles were exceeding the speed
limit. 807 vehicles (115 per day) were traveling 40 mph or more, 11
vehicles were traveling 60 mph or more with 2 traveling over 70 mph.
A factor to consider in evaluating the statistics is that when there
is a higher volume of traffic, though the percentage of speeders may
be lower, there are still a significant number of vehicles traveling
excessively over the limit and creating a very hazardous situation.
Our committee members have recently canvassed the Cliffside and
Hansville neighborhoods with a petition asking the residents for
their signature if they support the proposed speed tables or other
physical calming devices. We are pleased but not surprised at the
unanimity of the residents' support for our proposal.
The results are that in the Cliffside neighborhood 79% of all
residences were contacted. Of those contacted, 98% signed the
petition. In the Hansville neighborhood approximately 65% of
households and businesses have been contacted and of those, 97%
signed the petition (survey in process, will have additional results
by mid Oct.) .
We appreciate the efforts of Steve Johnson and the Public Works
Department for their suggestion for signs, RPMs and speed limits
painted on the roadway as methods to lower speeds. While we will
continue to explore these types of measures, we strongly believe the
most effective solution to our speeding problems is the installation
of physical traffic calming devices, i.e. speed tables on Hood Canal
Drive, Bridgeview and Twin Spits Road and the mini-round at the
intersection of Buck Lake Road and Point No Point Road as presented
in our proposal.
We are aware that the classification of our roads may not conform
with the County's guidelines for installation of speed tables.
However, in the overriding interest of safety, our speed limits as
well as the level and pervasiveness of current speeding as shown in
the County's surveys coupled with the strong level of community
support, warrant an exception to those guidelines.
We are eager to have our proposal placed in the upcoming two year
budget. Therefore we would like to move forward quickly to the next
step in implementing our proposal and appreciate your continuing
support.
We look forward to meeting with you soon.
Greater Hansville Road Safety Advisory Committee
Patricia Pinkham and Kathleen Bourassa
Cochairs,
Bob Helbock
Neal Kellner
Jim McClellan
Chris McClellan
Carol Peterson
Barbara Porter
Dody Solaas
Dan Smith
Jo Nelson
Members
