Speed cushions for Kings Gate’s Midhurst Drive, Red Mill Lane
Residents traveling along Midhurst Drive and Red Mill Lane in Kings Gate subdivision will be getting traffic speed cushions on those two roads.
Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted unanimously to approve the traffic-calming measure during its meeting Thursday, June 9.
While no resident spoke at the meeting, most of the residents voted in favor of the traffic-calming devices, assistant Town engineer Brannon Tupper said.
In February 2021, Tupper said some Kings Gate residents applied for traffic-calming measures on Midhurst and Red Mill.
“The residents live right at the intersection of where Red Mill and Midhurst actually come together,” he said. “They reported excessive speeding, also a few wrecks with people running off the road into their yards.”
Staff met with the residents and formed a traffic team, which included the affected residents, before performing speed studies along those roads.
“We did several speed studies throughout the subdivision to see where the 85th percentile speed is — it’s specifically 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit,” Tupper said. “That is the threshold of whether or not an application would be eligible for traffic calming.”
The studies showed all locations were eligible, with some speeds upward of 43 miles per hour, he added. Based on those results, a public meeting was held, which resulted in mixed feelings about the speed cushions.
Some residents thought the traffic was a result of the cut-through traffic from Virtue Road, but Tupper said a subsequent speed study showed people still were speeding.
Kings Gate residents then voted on the speed cushions.
Tupper said the policy requires a 50 percent vote in favor from people in the affected area and 65 percent in the speed zone.
“We received 105 ballots back — 70 percent of the affected area voted in favor of the measure and 83 percent of people in the speed zone voted for the speed cushions,” he said.
In other business, the Board unanimously approved:
• a rezoning of .82 acres, owned by Fast Pace Urgent Care, 13013 Kingston Pike, from General Commercial District (C-1) to Rural Single-Family Residential (R-1).
Community Development director Mark Shipley said after completing its walk-in clinic on the 1.82-acre property, it realized it did not need all the property, which fronts Kingston Pike and Fleenor Road, so it is subdividing it to make way for a single-family home.
• the following committee appointments: Arts and Beautification: Marty Rogers, T.C. Williams, Joyce Moran, Lisa Hall, Wendy Stiles, Dora Taggart and Michelle Morrow; Board of Zoning Appeals: John Hoffman; Museum Advisory: Bill Battle, Lisa Hall, Joyce Moran and Beverly Hammond; Tourism/Visitor: Michael Bellamy, Candace Viox, Bill McAdams and Debbie Konopka; Parks & Athletics Council: Bill McAdams, Debbie Pinchok, Jeff Devlin, Jonathan Zuraw and alternate Derek Wright; Stormwater Advisory: Valerie McFall, Ed McGimsey and Elizabeth Agee; Visual Resources Review Board: Brittany Moore and Derek Wright.
