Third street gets speed humps in Wright Dunbar to slow traffic

Late last month, a vehicle smashed into the historic Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center and Aviation Trail Parachute Museum in the Wright Dunbar neighborhood, located in West Dayton.

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

The driver was traveling at an excessive speed when he or she lost control of a Dodge Charger, causing it to swerve over into the oncoming lane of traffic, according to a police crash report.

The vehicle collided with several utility poles before striking the historic National Park Service property. The driver failed to stop and properly identify themselves, as required by state law, the report states.

Later that same day, a car traveling east on West Third Street in the Wright Dunbar area lost control and crossed into the opposite lane of travel before striking a parked car, a crash report states. That driver also fled without identifying themselves.

This occurred less than a block from the interpretive center.

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Stovall said the Wright Dunbar business district has seen 14 large planters struck and destroyed along West Third Street since early June.

He said the buildings along West Third Street in the Wright Dunbar area are historic and they have much higher repair costs when they are damaged.

In addition to installing two speed tables, the city also painted the bump-out curbs to also try to calm traffic, Stovall said.

Flexible plastic pole “delineators” along the edge of the sidewalk for the existing bump outs have been repeatedly struck and knocked down and required replacement, he said.

The city has installed speed humps, cushions and tables in various parts of the city to try to crack down on speeding and “hooning,” which involves reckless driving behaviors.

Notably, the city put in a series of speed bumps on North Gettysburg Avenue to try to prevent illegal street racing and what city officials have described as “automobile circus acts.”

The visitor center remains open from 9:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. daily. The historic entrances to the Setzer and Hoover block buildings sustained damage, but efforts to secure and repair the structures are underway.