TOLEDO, Ohio — The city of Toledo tried to stop speeding in a south Toledo neighborhood by installing small traffic circles, called chicanes, but after negative feedback from residents, the city removed them.
City officials say the chicanes, on Whitechapel Drive between Heatherdowns Boulevard and Larkhall Drive, worked. According to the city, the average speed on Whitechapel decreased by 23%, but neighbors disagree.
"It definitely caused a big inconvenience for our neighborhood for sure," said resident Suad Sagma.
Sagman lives on Whitechapel with her daughter and said she's glad these chicanes are gone because she feels they didn't help solve the speeding problem.
"People are flying down here, still doing 50 miles an hour," Sagman said. "Luckily they're gone. Hopefully, they are gone permanently and we get speed bumps."
Chicanes, or "calming circles," are described on the city's website as "a series of two or three curb bulbs placed on alternating sides of the road that are similar in size to a parked car. Having to navigate additional turns in the road makes drivers slow down and maneuver the curves one vehicle at a time."
Joanna Kosier drives down Whitechapel multiple times a day and feels the chicanes were just an inconvenience.
"I have to wait for one car to go through, then the other car could go another direction. We couldn't just drive side by side," she said.
In a letter to residents the city said, "Based on your feedback, we have decided to forego the installation of the chicanes. We are, however, moving forward with the rest of the project as designed."
The project is Vision Zero, Toledo's goal to make streets safer and reduce roadway fatalities.
Vision Zero's next step for Whitechapel is to add sidewalks, which the city has already begun working on.
"I don't like that idea, because where are they going to put them? Where are they going to put the sidewalks? There are beautiful trees," Kosier said.
She's concerned trees would have to get cut down to make room for the sidewalks. In another letter to residents, the city said there would be tree trimming with some tree removals. But the trees would eventually be replaced.
For Sagman, the process is worth it.
"I probably would rather have sidewalks just to make it safer, especially for the kids and the people that walk around here a lot," she said.
While residents said they received letters from the city, they still feel uninvolved in the decision-making process, telling WTOL 11 they didn't know if their trees would be taken down or if there would be a sidewalk on both sides of the road or just one.
The city of Toledo did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.