Binghamton Rec Park Users Praise Effort Aimed at Speeding Drivers

People in the area of Recreation Park on Binghamton's West Side say motorists appear to be slowing down a bit since a speed display sign was set up.

Park users often have expressed concern about drivers who ignore the speed limit while traveling through the neighborhood.

City police recently set up a "speed trailer" near the Beethoven Street park entrance. The portable device measures the speed of approaching vehicles and shows the result on a large red LED display.

The posted "park speed limit" on Beethoven Street and Seminary Avenue is 25 miles per hour. The speed limit on Laurel Avenue - along the east side of the park - is 15 miles per hour because of the nearby Horace Mann Elementary School.

A man who was walking along Beethoven Street Wednesday said he was pleased with the effect the speed display sign appeared to be having on most motorists. He said sometimes drivers raced down the street "going 50 or 60." With the sign in place, he said vehicles appear to be traveling more slowly.

The man said he is concerned because "a whole lot of little kids don't look" when they cross the streets near the park.

On two days this week, a reporter observed most drivers observing the speed limit, although the display sign indicated some were traveling between 35 and 40 mph.

16-year-old Harper Stantz died in March 2019 after she was struck by a speeding vehicle as she walked from the park on Beethoven Street. The Jeep was being driven by a man who admitted he was impaired by drugs.

The Binghamton police speed trailer previously had been set up along Route 434 in the work zone where the Greenway is being constructed.

The police department's traffic division plans to set up the portable sign in other park zones around the city in coming weeks.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.