‘Just slow down’: Florence neighbors worried over speeding and litter in their area

FLORENCE, Ala. (WAFF) - Neighbors in north Florence say they are worried about the amount of people speeding by and running stop signs right outside their homes.

Neighbors in the Historic College District are banding together to let out what Janet Spencer calls their war cry. They are worried about speeding in the area, a problem Spencer said is only getting worse. And now, litter is becoming a problem.

“We want the city officials, the police department, and UNA to get this under control,” Spencer said.

She said these problems started growing when Gilbert Court apartments were made into student housing.

“Now that they are in this neighborhood, they need to abide by the laws and control their speeding,” Spencer said. “This is not a drag strip. It’s just a matter of time until there is an accident with these people punching it out at 151 and 222 all the way down gilbert court. Down Leila and down Willingham.”

Florence City councilwoman Kaytrina Simmons represents this neighborhood. She said the speeding worries her, too. She also said Florence police officers are now scouting the area to try and bring it down. Simmons said they have even given two tickets to the same person on the same day.

“They are fearful of walking and having their children ride their bikes where they are accustomed to,” Simmons said. “And it’s just a dragway. It’s a speedway. I’m afraid that for safety reasons, someone is going to get hurt if we don’t find a way to slow that traffic down.”

Neighbors, like Jimmy Czermak, hope the increased patrols discourage reckless drivers. He said he is surprised there hasn’t been a terrible accident here yet.

“Like I said we just want to keep everyone safe,” Czermak said. “This is a great neighborhood. One of the best secrets in Alabama and we want to keep it that way. But like I said let’s keep everybody safe. And please don’t throw out your trash.”

WAFF 48 News talked to leaders at UNA over concerns many of the chronic speeders in this area are turning into Gilbert Court. In response, UNA officials said they make students aware that they are in residential zones in the housing contracts they sign. Housing and Residential Life stressed that they need to be good neighbors.

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