Officials hear about bad habits of Dover drivers
DOVER (WJER) (April 22, 2022) – City officials are trying to address some of the common traffic pet peeves in the city, including speeding on Wooster Avenue, making illegal U-turns in downtown Dover, and leaving vehicles parked on the street too long.
Council members recently talked about how to slow down speeders driving by the park on Wooster Avenue. Resident Matt Kendall shared his concerns.
“You have kids walking to school, kids riding their bikes, and there’s traffic going about 50 to 55 miles an hour driving next to them,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time before someone gets picked off.”
City officials say they don’t have control over the speed limit there, as it’s a state route. Police have been issuing more speeding warnings in the area lately.
Safety Director Gerry Mroczkowski says police are also watching out for drivers making U-turns on Third Street downtown. He says that’s illegal in business districts.
“People will come into City Hall to ask me for directions … They’re right in front of the police department and they’ll make a U-turn,” he said. “The streets are so wide, it kind of leads people to do that. Third Street is so wide. The Police Department is very aware of it.”
Council this week also approved legislation to help police enforce city ordinances regarding vehicles parked on the street. Now owners can’t leave their vehicles parked out on the street for longer than 48 hours without the police chief’s permission.
The ordinance previously stated without notification of the police chief. Mroczkowski said with that wording people could technically notify the chief but still not be required to move their vehicle.