Lucky Hill Road resident sees no need for speed

Beth Swift thinks it’s only a matter of time before someone gets killed on her road.

The Remington resident has lived on the stretch of Lucky Hill Road between Tinpot Run Lane and Strodes Mill Road for five years.

Over the years, she said she’s seen all sorts of vehicles flying up and down the street -– tow trucks, school buses, tractor trailers, cars, and sports utility vehicles.

“I hate to say it, but I’ve even seen cop cars [speeding],” she said.

Swift claims she’s spotted some of the offenders going more than 50 or 60 mph.

The posted speed limit is only 35 mph.

Some sort of traffic calming devices, like speed bumps -– or a stop sign at the Short Street intersection should be installed to remedy the issue, Swift said.

But she also said her pleas to law enforcement, VDOT and the county’s transportation committee during its June 29 meeting seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

“People are still speeding -– the police haven’t taken any action. Everything is still the same,” Swift said last week.

Some of her friends and neighbors share her frustration.

“I do know Beth has been to the Fauquier Transportation Committee and spoken with VDOT. From what I understand the issue has been tabled until they’ve resolved [the Tin Pot Run Lane bridge replacement] issue, but I don’t know what one thing has to do with the other since the bridge is half-a-mile away,” said Swift’s friend Jim Collins.

According to the committee’s minutes, David Cubbage, manager of VDOT’s Warrenton residency, said the agency “stands by “ a 2008 study that resulted in a 10 mph reduction in the speed limit on the section of Lucky Hill Road between Tin Pot Run Lane and Strodes Mill Road.

Cubbage also said 35 mph is the “appropriate” speed limit based on the mixed commercial and residential nature of the road.

He agreed to review the location of signs, including “step down signage” to assist with traffic calming.

Meanwhile, Swift has taken it upon herself to make a DVD that “clearly shows” people speeding, according to Collins.

“There are several kids in the neighborhood and it really is getting to a point where it is dangerous,” he said. “I don’t really think Beth is asking for anything too drastic -– just some traffic calming measures.”

Paula Dabkowski, who has lived on nearby Short Street for about a year, said she sees people speeding while she’s waiting at her children’s bus stop every morning.

While she doesn’t think the problem is getting worse, it hasn’t gotten any better, either.

“I’d say it is consistently bad,” she said. “I know Beth had a problem [with it] even before I moved in.”

Lt. James Hartman of the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office said the agency is aware of residents’ complaints regarding speeding on the portion of Lucky Hill Road where Swift lives.

The concerns have been taken seriously, and deputies have been monitoring traffic there since May 5, he said. Those efforts are ongoing.

Dabkowski and Swift said they’ve seen the deputies, on the road, but are concerned that the police presence isn’t effective because the deputies are in marked units in plain view.

“They’re in a spot where everyone can see them. If they’re going to run radar, they need to find someplace to hide or used unmarked units,” Swift said. “They don’t seem to understand that.”