DOVER, DE- Ongoing speeding concerns in Dover's Lincoln Park neighborhood have many neighbors fed up, turning to the city for help to slam the brakes on reckless driving.
At a July 29 Dover City Council Committee of the Whole meeting, Lincoln Park residents' request to install speed humps in their neighborhood took center stage. Council members also discussed similar speeding complaints along East Loockerman Street.
Neighbors like Daren Swann, who lives in Lincoln Park, say the speeding problem has worsened to the point that he no longer feels safe driving or walking in his neighborhood.
"I know speeding is really bad, especially in this area. It's just the people coming around the corners. You'll be going to get your mail, and someone's just whipping around."
Mark London, another longtime Lincoln Park neighbor, says the 25 mph speed limit signs on his street are treated as suggestions by many drivers, putting elderly neighbors and children at risk.
"About a week ago, I saw this car coming through here. He had to be doing at least 60 miles an hour straight down the street."
Sharon Duca, Dover's assistant city manager, says that while council members and city leaders reviewed the request, the city's current code prohibits the use of speed humps in residential areas—making them not a viable solution at this time.
"We reviewed them in detail. The code currently prohibits them in residential areas."
Section 98-10 of Dover's city code says: "Any device used as a means of speed reduction on any city street, drive, parking lot, or any other drivable surface, which causes a change in elevation which may result in emergency equipment having to reduce speed during a time of emergency, is prohibited."
Duca says that while speed humps can reduce traffic speeds, they pose additional challenges—particularly for emergency response teams that rely on unobstructed access.
"Cons include difficulty with snow operations and drainage, and reducing speed for emergency services."
Emergency personnel—including Dover Fire Chief Dave Carey and Police Chief Thomas Johnson—also attended the meeting and expressed concerns about how speed reducers, like speed humps, could hinder emergency response.
And while speed humps may be off the table for now, some city leaders say other solutions must be explored.
Councilman Roy Sudler, who represents the 4th District where Lincoln Park is located, says something needs to be done to protect the neighborhood.
"For the safety of the community, to preserve that integrity, we need some more additional traffic calming measures."
While no immediate action will be taken, the council has requested that a formal speed reduction plan be developed and returned for review by the end of the year.