By Cindy Schroeder
The Cincinnati Enquirer

FORT MITCHELL - Neighbors along Highland Avenue here say they're fed up with speeders on their quiet, residential street.

IF YOU GO

What: Fort Mitchell City Council, special meeting to discuss traffic and safety issues on Highland Avenue When: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 19 Where: Blessed Sacrament Church undercroft Information: (859) 331-1212. Residents who can't attend can send a letter with their ideas and concerns to Mayor Tom Holocher at the city building, P.O. Box 17157, Fort Mitchell, Ky. 41017-0157.

Born and raised on Highland Avenue, 59-year-old Leo Greis recalls playing baseball with his children in the street.

"That's not possible anymore,'' said Greis, who has lobbied for stop signs at Highland's intersections with Oak Street and Floral Avenue and increased traffic surveillance in the evenings.

Recent traffic data collected by Fort Mitchell police shows 6,200 cars traveled Highland Avenue during a three-day period, or an average of 2,066 cars a day. Nineteen speeding citations were issued during a 30-day period.

After listening to traffic complaints for the past two months, Fort Mitchell Mayor Tom Holocher decided to schedule a public forum Jan. 19. Police, public works employees and elected officials also will share information on traffic-safety issues at the meeting.

Last month, several city council members called for a public forum before they decide whether to restrict parking, add stop signs or crosswalks or act on related traffic issues.

At its Feb. 2 meeting, council is expected to vote on a proposal to put a stop sign and crosswalk at Highland Avenue and Oak Street. Some have expressed concern that such a change could create a traffic backup on the two streets.

Laurie Amelung, a mother of six who lives on Highland Avenue near Dixie Highway, said her main concern is speeders.

"I know speeding is a concern, especially in neighborhood families with young kids,'' said Amelung, who has three children age 6 and younger. "We generally try to keep the kids in the backyard, but most of the yards here aren't fenced.''

Amelung said speeding has become an issue in recent years with the development of the Longmeadow subdivision.

"There are some teenaged drivers back in Longmeadow who don't tend to follow the speed limit,'' Amelung said. "Another problem is getting out of your driveway in the morning and evening.''

During rush hours, Amelung said it's not unusual for her to sit in her driveway three or four minutes because of the traffic volume.

Another issue is parking, residents said.

Fort Mitchell's sign committee recently recommended restricting parking 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays on Highland from Floral Avenue to Dixie Highway and from Oak Street to Idaho Avenue.

"We have older homes with no garages, or garages that were built for Model T Fords,'' Amelung said. With three vehicles in her family, including a 12-passenger van, and no garage, she said, her situation is similar to other neighbors who often have to park on the street.

"I think the general feeling was that if they put no parking there, traffic would flow better,'' Holocher said. "There would be better visibility.''

He said a number of people must park on the street though because their driveways aren't large enough.

"A lot of the houses were built 60 or 70 years ago when people didn't even own a car,'' Holocher said.

E-mail cschroeder@enquirer.com