DENTON, Md. - Two neighbors voiced their concerns of unsafe speeding during a Caroline County Council meeting.
Drivers speeding down Mitchell Rd. raised concern for some neighbors.
Jon Stoltzfus and Mike Leonard voiced their concern of safety for their property, children, and the drivers themselves, during Tuesday's public comment. Stoltzfus explained he's had a mailbox knocked down, a car stuck on his front lawn, and worries for his kids to play on the property.
Mitchell Rd is a dirt road. According to Stoltzfus, the drivers that speed are usually people trying to get to the beach. He says the GPS will take them through these back roads when traffic gets bad.
"Personally I have viewed them coming around that turn at 60 to 70 miles per hour. It kind of weaves in and out but as soon as they get out of the woods, directly from the 404 side, they see it as a straight shot," says Stoltzfus. "There's a lot of people that are not from the eastern shore that are traveling down this dirt road. They are coming from one, 2, sometimes 3 states away. I think that's the reality of it. We're funneling interstate volumes of traffic, during certain periods of the day, down a dirt road."
Mike Leonard, who lives on Hignutt Rd. says he sees this speeding on Mitchell Rd. and Hignutt all the time. And like Stoltzfus, he said he's replaced three mailboxes just this year because of reckless drivers. Leonard also worries for his kids that want to play in the yard or his daughter that wants go jogging outside.
"I've lost two mailboxes this year. I'm on my third. So, we'll see if I can make it through without another one. It just keeps getting dangerous," says Leonard.
Both Stoltzfus and Leonard spoke at the County Council meeting about these concerns. In the end, the council members voted unanimously to pass a 25 mph speed limit zone for Mitchell Rd. And according to Stoltzfus, within 24 hours the road was widened so cars can pass by each other safely.
Although signs have not been posted, just yet, the Caroline County Sheriffs Office says it should be within the next few weeks. And, deputies will patrol that area to make sure drivers adhere to the new speed limit.
It was a concern answered to ensure everyone is a little safer.