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Brookfield residents complain about speeding

(9/27) Brookfield residents told the town council that since the Irishtown Road connection was established, speeding has become a prevalent issue from nonresidents.

Brookfield resident Scott Frager noted the rising issues of safety and traffic, claiming affected roads like Timber Mill Road and Brookfield Road and Irish Town Road have since become commuter roads.

"These are not residents of the neighborhood that are driving through here, it is absolutely traffic coming from somewhere else," said Ken Altadonna.

Michael Turnquist noted the worsening of traffic on Brookfield since Irish Town Road became a through street from Track Road. Phillip Smith said he was concerned for neighborhood children and the accelerated rate of speed drivers seem to take the hill located at Irish Town Road.

To help address the issue, the residents asked the town council to install speed bumps and additional speed signage.

Frederick County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Ahalt however told the council that a traffic study had been recently completed inside the Brookfield area and no significant violations were discovered. Instead, Ahalt suggested that loud exhaust and engine revving gives the appearance of speeding when in essence the vehicle "may be only doing two to five miles an hour over the speed limit."

Town Manager Cathy Willets suggested the town could potentially research setting up trailer speed indicators on the roads for drivers to gage speed better.

Council President Tim O’Donnell encouraged the public to continue to reach out to the sheriff’s department with concerns. "As a community, I think we have very responsive deputies and they are very responsive to comments made by the public."

In fact, Ahalt noted, he himself had previously received a documented complaint from a member of the public for being in the community too much and had been accused of "over policing" the Brookfield neighborhood. "I can assure you, there is no lack of police presence in the community."

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