KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On this Driving You Crazy Monday, a small neighborhood in North Knoxville is getting a fresh wind, thanks to a new generation.
“More millennials are starting to fix up these beautiful old homes,” resident Evangaline Smith said. “They're walking their dogs, riding their bikes. It's brought a lot of new and good positive energy to the area.”
Smith walks the neighborhood daily, and over the years she noticed another shift: more people in the neighborhood means more cars on every corner.
“Traffic is really becoming a problem,” Smith said. “Especially on the infamous Harvey Hill.”
Harvey Hill is located between East Oak Hill Avenue and East Oldham Avenue toward Woodland Avenue.
“I can catch people on a daily basis, multiples times a day catching air on this hill and is just not safe for walkers, bikers, or kids coming home from school,” Smith said.
An idea getting passed around in the neighborhood is adding speed humps on Harvey Street.
“I think getting some speed humps over there would be beneficial,” Smith said.
That is a possibility for city neighborhoods through the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program. Looking online, the program focuses on three areas: Education, enforcement, and engineering.
RELATED: Installing speed humps is a slow, democratic process
The first step is filling out an application requesting a traffic study. An application could be submitted under the name of a neighborhood organization or a group of three or more individuals.
The application is available online here or in hard copy form by calling the Office of Neighborhoods at 865-215-2113.
Next, city leaders will contact the neighborhood and host a kick-off meeting. During the meeting, city staff will explain the program and give neighbors a chance to share their concerns and observations about speeding in the neighborhood.
If the conversation continues, the city and the neighborhood would prepare a petition. More than 50% of the neighborhood must sign it within 120 days. The petition signatures may be reviewed and checked by city staff.
Next is an evaluation meeting. That's when the city could decide to begin a traffic study.
Knoxville Police would observe the area looking at speeding rates and traffic patterns. If the data collected qualifies for further action, city leaders would discuss with engineers what changes would be best for the area.
Some folks in this North Knoxville Neighborhood are ready to get involved.
"I'm up for any suggestion that would alleviate some of the major traffic issues," Smith said.
If you live in Knox County, there’s a similar program available to neighborhoods.
If there’s a road or a road problem that is Driving You Crazy, send us an email at drivingyoucrazy@wbir.com.