Neighbors start petition to stop speeding drivers in Naples

Neighbors in one area are cracking down on speeding drivers by taking matters into their own hands.

The speed limit along 7th Avenue North in Naples is 25 miles per hour, but homeowners here say cars fly by on a regular basis. They want you to know that it is still residential.

Neighbors want speed tables, higher fines for fast drivers, and to enforce the no-truck rule along the road.

They said evening rush hour and early mornings are when they see speeders barrel down the road.

These homeowners want to enjoy their neighborhood without being worried about how fast others are going.

So, when worry turned to action, Urlich Piepel went door to door for signatures.

“I would say, 95% of the neighbors who are living here, they said, ‘We’re gonna sign it right away.’ They were so happy that I finally took the initiative to do it, and they gave me the signature, and then I filed it, I think, in May,” Piepel said.

On Thursday, Naples City Council approved putting in extra safety measures.

The petition Piepel wrote asks for multiple speed tables along the road, no trucks, and a $200 fine for those who speed by.

“Every once in a while, you’ll see someone rev it up to 60 or 70,” said Bill Dunlap, a neighbor. “With these speed tables, they won’t be able to do that, and so right now, the sidewalk is basically just on the street.”

Neighbors said that when the police do sit by for speed traps, they see people slow down, but a more permanent solution is on the way.

“These speed tables will keep a lot of traffic away and put them on routes which are broader, which have sidewalks, and which are more designed for more traffic,” Dunlap said.

The city did approve the concept of improving safety measures along 7th Avenue North. We are working to figure out when these changes will be made.