Johns Island resident continues fight for speed bumps after second car hits tree

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A Johns Island resident is continuing to push for change after he says a road in his subdivision is a speedway for drivers trying to cut through the neighborhood.

“Three years ago, we had to say this tree was hit by a speeder coming through,” Kent Kise says.

Kise has lived off Brittlebush Lane in Whitney Lakes on Johns Island for about eight years.

Kise and other nearby residents say not a lot has changed since the last time they talked about this problem.

“Every morning and every evening we’re seeing cars racing through here at 40 to 50 miles an hour. It’s got straddled with walkways on both sides. We’ve got children, pets, pedestrians,” Kise says.

Kise and his neighbors are continuing to fight for speed bumps in the area and are still dealing with speedy drivers cutting through their neighborhood around Maybank Highway.

“We have a stretch here called ‘the Brittlebush Speedway,’” Kise says.

The nickname was coined by the neighborhood after residents said the constant flow of through traffic to Maybank Highway is causing safety concerns in the neighborhood

“It’s not a matter of if it’s going to happen, someone’s going to get seriously hurt,” Kise says.

Now, community members say they have reached the final straw after another high-speed driver recently crashed into the same tree in their subdivision.

“We had a very high-impact crash on the same tree in the same area. So, it just goes to show just how dangerous this area has gotten.” Kise said.

Speed bumps are on other roads in the neighborhood, but not on Brittlebush Lane - the one Kent says sees the worst of it.

“Of all areas that need speed calming and speed humps is this stretch right here… This is a very deserving location. If they want to prevent some serious accidents, they need to do it now,” Kise says.

Live 5 brought these concerns to the City of Charleston Section Chief of Public Works, Robert Somerville, who says that, for speed bumps to be considered, it’s going to take some work from the public, because of the amount of road requests they receive.

He said, first, a petition would need to be done with at least 75% of residents in the area agreeing to the issue, a study would then need to be done proving about 350 vehicles pass through at over 20 miles per hour. If this is proven, the proposal will be taken to the city council for approval.

Once approved, Somerville says they will proceed with speed bumps at the location.

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