A car goes over the speed bumps in the Churchill Downs subdivision. Several residents in the subdivision signed a petition asking these speed bumps to be removed. | Brent Maze

Priceville will review whether speed bumps are necessary in the Churchill Downs subdivisions after residents from that area signed a petition to remove the ones the city installed last week.

Two residents from the subdivision presented the petition with more than 30 signatures to the Priceville Town Council at its Aug. 11 meeting.

Churchill Downs resident Steve Morris said he feels the three speed bumps, which are 2 1/4 inches tall, 14 inches wide and stretch across Derby Drive at an angle, are causing hazard to those who drive over them every day.

“It’s just like hitting a four-by-four laying in the road,” Morris said. “It’s tearing our cars up. These speed bumps aren’t right for our subdivision.”

Mayor Melvin Duran said the city installed those speed bumps after receiving numerous complaints of speeding over the last two years. Included in that was at traffic crash in which a driver knocked over a mailbox.

“We’ve been working on this for the last two years,” Duran said. “The police department has patrolled the road. We felt like speed bumps were the best option.”

Morris said the speed bumps could also hamper emergency response.

“Emergency vehicles will have to come to almost a complete stop to go over those speed bumps,” Morris said. “That will slow emergency medical service response time. It will also cause the equipment in an ambulance to move around. And paramedics won’t be able to treat patients going over those bumps.”

Morris proposed putting a stop sign at the first intersection coming off of Alabama 67, which is just a few feet from the first speed bump.

“I hadn’t thought about putting a stop sign there,” Duran said. “That might work (to slow traffic down).”

If that didn’t work, Morris suggested that the city put wider speed bumps or lower the speed limit on the road.

Duran said the city would look into those options as well, but he believes removing the speed bumps alone will not solve the problem.

“We’re going to slow it down,” Duran said.

In other business, the council:

• approved paying $42,089 for its bills.

• agreed to purchase an ad in the Priceville Booster Club fall and spring programs for $175.

• purchased mosquito spray for $2,010.

• approved $3,300 for Long Construction Company to move the lien to a building, which is located behind maintenance building No. 2, to the new maintenance/volunteer fire department location.