Some Northside moms are taking to yard signs to slow traffic and keep their families safe, following the recent closure of a bridge on Meadowbrook Road.
And their efforts seem to be paying off.
Recently, the city closed a bridge along the heavily traveled roadway between East Ridge and Berlin drives.
Since the closure, cut-through traffic has picked up dramatically on Meadowbrook side streets.
Some of the heaviest traffic has been along London Avenue, a residential street that runs parallel to Meadowbrook.
Elizabeth Quinn, a mother of four who lives in the 2000 block of London, said traffic had gotten so bad she was worried for her kids when they play outside.
“It got worse and worse the weekend after the bridge was closed, so I went to Lowe’s and bought the signs and markers,” she said. “I made them in my garage, and texted pictures of them to other moms, who said they wanted one in their yards.”
The signs include such phrases as “Detours make great speed traps. You wanna risk it?” and “Slow down. We gave the kids rocks and radar guns (and they are pumped).”
Missy McNeese, a mother of two who lives nearby Brussels Drive, has one of the signs in her yard.
The increase in traffic was an immediate concern because her children often play in the front yard, and go back and forth from friend’s houses, she said.
“The signs have helped a little,” she said.
So far, motorists have been slowing down at least to read the signs.
“(They’re) a funny way to remind people ... this is a kid-heavy area without being too snarky,” Quinn said. “We want them to slow down and maybe get a laugh too.”
The Meadowbrook bridge was closed April 17, after city inspections determined the wooden pilings underneath were infested with termites.
The bridge is one of 13 in the capital city closed following inspections. Others on the Northside include one on Hawthorn Drive near Robin Drive, and one on Cavalier Drive.
Officials in the city’s public works department were still looking into repair options for the structures at press time.
City officials did not know when the bridges would be repaired, and said the timeframe would be based on funding.
For motorists driving along Meadowbrook, detour options include taking Forest Park Drive or Berlin Drive to London Avenue and exiting back onto Meadowbrook from Brussels.
Drivers can also head south on Comanche, turn left on Cherokee Drive and exit back onto Meadowbrook at Chippewa Circle.
Meadowbrook east of Ridgewood is traveled by about 3,400 vehicles a day.
Drivers who use Cavalier as a cut-through between Old Canton Road and Wood Dale Drive can use Avondale Street.
