Dalton Gardens residents are split on whether enough has been done to curb speeding in the community, according to a recent safety committee survey.

“Speeding and traffic safety are legitimate concerns in Dalton Gardens,” Mayor Curt Jernigan said in a Monday email. “In fact, concerns about traffic safety and law enforcement were among the reasons the City conducted the recent Ad Hoc Safety Committee Survey. We wanted to hear directly from residents rather than assume what their priorities were.” 

Dalton Gardens sent postcards with a link to the survey, which garnered 265 responses from residents asking about road safety in the community.

More than 50% of respondents said they were satisfied with the speed control efforts of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, which provides law enforcement services for the city. A similar number of people said they were satisfied with patrol visibility in their area. 

However, many responses to a question asking whether there were other areas regarding law enforcement they felt needed to be addressed mentioned speeding and other traffic issues.

The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office said Dalton Gardens had canceled its contract with KCSO in the past and does not have any dedicated deputies assigned to patrol Dalton Gardens. A records request seeking to reveal how many speeding and traffic citations have been issued in the city in the last year has not yet been completed.

"A deputy is assigned to cover Dalton Gardens along with other areas of the unincorporated county every shift and any deputy can patrol Dalton Gardens as they wish during their shift but they no longer have a dedicated deputy to patrol just their town," Lt. Mark Ellis said. "We often conduct traffic emphasis in Dalton Gardens when requested or problems are reported."

The main parts of town residents were primarily concerned about were Fourth, 15th and 16th streets, as well as Wilbur, Canfield, Deerhaven, Valley, Dalton Avenue and other residential streets. This is especially important when the vast majority of the city is zoned for houses.

Some elderly residents on Fourth Street indicated they have to time their crossings to retrieve their mail because many vehicles travel over 30 mph when the speed limit is 25 all the way through the city. Dave Deats, a veteran who lost his leg in the Vietnam War, uses a scooter to cross.

“It’s a death trap when you’re taking your life in your own hands because all of the mail is on that side (of the road), so anybody on this side has to fight traffic,” Deats said. “Sooner or later, somebody will be killed because of that, I’m sure. I don’t know what else to do about it.”

Dalton Gardens has made traffic control changes in the past, such as four-way stops on 15th Street. The city says it will review existing signs and traffic control measures to evaluate whether they’re working as intended and where additional attention may be warranted.

Other residents now see the excess speeding as a minor annoyance now and again, rather than a larger issue, such as Martin Teall, who splits his time between Dalton Gardens and Minnesota.

“For the most part, people do 25 mph, which is hard to do,” Teall said. “Today a guy with a big loud pickup, I could hear him coming, all of a sudden right in front of the house he’s passing somebody going about 50 mph. But you don’t see that very often. We’re pretty happy with the 25 mph speed limit.”

Street traffic is not just about cars. It includes bicyclists, children, pedestrians and equestrians too.

“I wish people wouldn’t speed,” Dalton Gardens resident Beverly Crawford said. “Kids walk to school and it can be dangerous. I wish people would pay more attention to the speed limit signs.”

Jernigan said the city will reach out to residents soon to highlight measures other small communities have implemented to address speeding, improve traffic safety and manage student drop-off and pickup.

“Our residents should be able to walk, bicycle, take their children to school and enjoy their neighborhoods safely,” Jernigan said. “The Mayor and Council take those concerns seriously. So, if you’re driving through Dalton Gardens, please obey the speed limit, stay alert, put your phone away and be especially mindful of pedestrians and bicyclists sharing our neighborhood streets.”