PETERSBURG , Va. — City leaders are now taking steps to get speeding drivers to slow down on Petersburg streets.
The city has installed speed bumps on Sycamore Street near where two senior citizen housing complexes sit.
Resident Myra Bailey says seniors who need to cross the street, some using canes, walkers, or wheelchairs. have faced danger from speeding drivers for years.
"They were just driving fast you know," Bailey said. "So it is a help."
Neighbor Alma Edwards agrees the speed bumps have made a difference.
"They are giving you the right of way more so than before they put it out here," Edwards said. "I'm glad they did it."
Members of Flaming Sword Church of Deliverance say leaving worship services has always been difficult because of speeding traffic.
Deacon Clifton Cobb says the speed bumps installed on both sides of the church entrance were long overdue.
"It's about time," Cobb said. ""[Now I] don't have to worry about the speeding or trying to get out of the parking lot."
Petersburg Deputy City Manager Kenneth Miller says the speed bumps are part of a broader effort to address speeding across the city.
"Police are doing all they can. This is a force multiplier if you will. To help with speeding in our city, to protect our community members," Miller said.
The stretch of Sycamore Street has seen car accidents and near misses over the years.
The historic Ragland Mansion on the street has been hit by vehicles three times in the past 15 years, most recently this past March, when part of its 170-year-old wrought iron fence was destroyed.
"So the homeowners insurance only covers the physical house, it does not cover the fence," Ragland Mansion owner Claudia Bezaka said.
The speed bumps on Sycamore Street are two of nearly a dozen permanent speed bumps recently installed by the city.
Not everyone supports the installations.
Some residents say the bumps are too tall and can damage low-profile cars, while others believe they do not belong on busy city streets.
But many on Sycamore Street say they now feel safer because of them.
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