MARBLEHEAD — Speed bumps or no speed bumps, there is one thing that residents living on or near Peach Highlands can all agree on: finding a reasonable way to slow down traffic.
Though many advocated for different solutions during public comment at the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee’s meeting on Monday, the committee ultimately decided that it will recommend to the Select Board the installation of street markings and signs at the hillcrest on Peach Highlands.
The agenda item, listed as “traffic calming treatment” on Peach Highlands, came weeks after nearby resident Tom Peach personally removed speed bumps at each end of the hillcrest with his drill and returned them to the Department of Public Works, just hours after they were installed for the summer.
Peach, along with other residents and business owners, said that the speed bumps had been putting too much wear and tear on their vehicles, as they use the street on a day-to-day basis.
The speed bumps were first installed in 2020 after there were reports of teenagers using the hillcrest as a launch point for their cars. Because the jumping primarily took place in the summer months, the speed bumps have been installed on a seasonal basis, starting at the end of spring and being taken out for the winter.
Peach Highlands resident Sean McHugh has been a strong proponent of the speed bumps, helping to get them installed after bringing the issue to the Select Board. He said at Monday’s meeting that he has more than 40 security videos showing hill jumping taking place on the street.
For the last several years, McHugh has had a security camera directly facing the hill. According to McHugh, the problem was significantly decreased when the speed bumps were installed, and he wants to see them back on the hill.
“Basically, what’s happened is the solution you’ve provided for the past three years, which has worked, is now removed,” McHugh said. “I’d like them either put back or some sort of a remedy to keep these kids from coming to Marblehead to jump the hill.”
McHugh added that it is “a destination” for teenagers out of town, and that “it’s not the neighbors” that are coming to jump the hill.
Police Chief Dennis King later pushed back on McHugh’s comments, saying that teenagers in town also participate in hill jumping.
Footage provided to The Daily Item by McHugh showed a car speeding up as it approached the hill, appearing to catch air as it went over the crest. Another video shows a car coming down the bottom of the hill after launching off the ground, fishtailing for a brief moment before regaining control.
Peach spoke directly after McHugh, agreeing that a solution needs to be found, just without the speed bumps.
“I’m in agreement with Sean, other than I’d like to see any other solution other than speed bumps,” Peach said.
Seemingly in response to Peach’s comments regarding wear and tear on vehicles, Peach Highlands resident Mike Anslinger said that “the obvious solution to eliminate wear and tear to vehicles is to slow down, but that’s for another day.”
”We obviously would prefer that the speed bumps be put back and actually enhanced to remove the gap between the speed bumps,” Anslinger said.
Despite residents’ statements and recommendations, the TSAC ultimately decided to move forward with another strategy, known as “Option 2.”
According to a brief presentation from TSAC Chair Gary Hebert, the proposal will include a speed hump at the crest of the hill, with signs on either side of the hill pointing to the hump and reading “HILL BLOCKS VIEW,” with another sign listing a strongly recommended speed of 10 mph.
There will also be white pavement markings that gradually increase in size as vehicles get closer to the hillcrest. If the Select Board moves forward with the committee’s recommendation, it will be tested over a 60-day period in which data will be reviewed by the Police Department to see if it has been effective in minimizing hill jumping or stopping it altogether.
