City Council tackles speeding in Havre

Twenty-five.

That's the speed limit in most areas of Havre.

Thirty-five to 40.

That's how fast Rick Pierson said many people are driving.

Pierson, the Havre City Council president, on Monday asked Havre Police Chief Kevin Olson to attend a Police and Fire Committee meeting to discuss speeding and what can be done to curtail it. The meeting is set for Monday at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

"I called it because there are concerns with the public about speeding," Pierson said. "I realize the police have a very large area and job to do. We just want to discuss it with the chief of police to see if we can remedy it."

Council members, Pierson said, have been contacted by people concerned with drivers exceeding speed limits. And it's not just on the main thoroughfares like First Street and Fifth Avenue.

"It's also the residential areas, and a lot of them have small children playing," he said. "I saw it myself up in the area where I live. They come up the street at 35 to 40 mph."

According to Olson, the limit in Havre's residential and most other areas is 25. It's upped to 35 mph near the Great Northern Inn heading east on U.S. Highway 2 and going west past Tire-Rama on Highway 2. School zones are designated 15 mph.

"Traffic violations are always a common concern of every community. They can become problematic," Olson said. "Usually the best solutions are to keep people cognizant that they need to keep with the speed limit."

On a typical day, the police force has three officers patrolling city streets, Olson said.

"We make a concerted effort. Our officers do enforce the traffic laws," he said. "We're as highly visible as we can be."

Olson was unable to pinpoint the exact number of citations issued by officers and said tickets don't offer a true picture of the problem.

"There are a lot of stops where people are given warnings," he said. "And there are a lot of times where we may stop them for speeding, and there are other offenses."

Ticket amounts, according to Havre City Court Judge Joyce Perszyk, are based on how much the driver is exceeding the posted speed limit. In February, she said, 23 citations were issued to speeding motorists, 17 of whom were going 11 to 20 mph over the limit. During February of 2001, officers wrote 16 tickets for speeding.

"I don't feel there's any more than usual right now," Perszyk said. "I just think the spring weather brings out a lot more drivers. That's why you notice a lot more people."

And the more people on the road, Perszyk said, the more traffic violations there will be.

That's why Pierson said he called this meeting to quell the problem before it gets any worse.

"I'm sure (Olson) can give us some ideas of what they can do to maybe rectify some of this. It's not a meeting to go in there and tell the chief of police what he has to do," Pierson said. "We're just looking for a solution."