By MARCiE SCHELLHAMMER

marcie@bradfordera.com

Should changes be made to reduce the speed of vehicles on Poplin Avenue?

A petition with more than 300 signatures was presented to Bradford City Council on Tuesday by Kellie Tingue, whose family pet was killed by a speeding vehicle recently in front of her home.

‘I want to bring awareness to the dangerous road conditions on Poplin Avenue for pedestrians,’ she told council. While it’s not a school zone, high school students park in a lot there, and users of Callahan Park and Barcroft Pool do as well.

She asked for a 15 mph speed limit and for speed bumps.

Tingue said, ‘They have conservation biology students come through and take samples of my hedges. Also the oil and gas class walks up and down that area all day.’

The students fool around, throwing things and pushing each other into traffic, showing no respect for each other or motorists, she added. ‘If it’s going to be used as an exterior school source, it should be used as a school zone area.’

Councilman Fred Proper said when he taught at the high school, his class laid out the school zone there. It was extremely regulated, he explained. Because of the layout of the streets, it is difficult for municipal police who cannot use radar by state law to ticket speeders.

Police Chief Mike Ward said he looked back through several years of data, and didn’t find any speeding complaints on Poplin Avenue. He encouraged her to call complaints in, and said officers will be monitoring the street.

City attorney Mark Hollenbeck explained it isn’t easy to change a speed limit, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has to be involved for engineering and traffic studies.

After a lengthy conversation on the matter, Mayor Tom Riel said council members would look into it.

Alex Casper of Bushnell Street addressed counsel, suggesting speed bumps as an alternative.

‘It’s really important that

Council… page A-8

Kellie Tingue, whose family pet was killed by a speeding vehicle recently in front of her home on Poplin Avenue, presented a petition with more than 300 signatures to Bradford City Council this week, seeking to lower the speed limit there.

Toys and flowers rest against a utility pole near where the incident occurred.

Era photo by Sara Furlong we protect our citizens,” he said, commending the city for being walkable.

At the end of the discussion, Ward said they could place the electronic speed signs on Poplin Avenue as a deterrent to speeding. A sign was in place Wednesday.

Also at the meeting, council abolished South Hillside Avenue, instead renaming that section of road as a continuation of King Street.

A bid opening was held for the second phase of work at Callahan Park. The apparent low bidder was Bob Cummins Construction at $608,592. Riel said the bids will be reviewed and action taken at the next meeting.

Permission was granted for the fire department to apply for a federal appropriation grant in support of a new fire station.

Council approved paying $3,300 to All American Fire Equipment for fire hose nozzles; $1,842 for a new door for the DPW building; $1,200 to E&M Engineers for inspecting 39-43 Mechanic St. for Board of Health; $8,125 to BTU Supply for a new 4-inch backflow preventer for the pump room at Callahan Park; and $2,400 to Allied Systems Inc. for labor to install heating and cooling zones for 30 Boylston St.

Council also adopted a new master fee schedule that goes into effect May 1.