If you live in a neighborhood where cars zoom through way too fast, but you’re not thrilled with the idea of speed bumps and speed tables, then you can probably sympathize with the residents of Carrboro’s Fox Meadow subdivision.

“This is not just a Fox Meadow neighborhood issue,” said resident Laura Wenzel to the Carrboro Board of Aldermen Tuesday night, “because there are a lot of people from the Rogers Road neighborhoods, like the Habitat houses, and Sylvan Way houses who walk on the road.”

Back in 2012, neighbors submitted a traffic calming request for Tallyho Trail, a narrow road about a mile long. It has only one way in-and-out off Rogers Road.

“This was a street that was constructed when this was still part of Orange County’s jurisdiction that we then annexed,” said Planning Administrator Tina Moon, “and then the town took over the street. I think the pavement’s only about 20 feet wide.”

A year later, Fox Meadow neighborhood representatives submitted a related petition signed by nearly 160 people.

They said they were concerned about unsafe conditions for pedestrians, as well as a lack of walking paths in a area where vehicles often zip through at unsafe speeds, despite the posted 25 MPH limit.

Town staff conducted traffic studies at four points along Tallyho Trail, and on Tuesday night, the Board of Aldermen heard some recommendations from the Transportation Advisory Board.

Based on the framework established by the town’s Residential Traffic Management Plan, there are two stages for dealing with dangerous speeding.

Stage One measures include educational and outreach efforts, such as going door-to-door, and holding neighborhood meetings.

In this case, said Moon, residents also need to be educated about which side of the street is safest for walking, and for kids to ride bikes.

In Stage Two, physical controls such as speed bumps and speed tables are introduced. In her remarks, Wenzel mentioned that many residents aren’t fans of that option.

Moon told the Board that the town has already taken some small measures. Public Works put up a couple more speed limit signs, and a radar sign was tested over two days this summer.

The planning administrator said this is a case where Stage One should be implemented, but the town needs to study the problem further.

“It’s a long road,” said Moon. “Putting in speed bumps might pose some challenges, either because they would be too far-spaced, or there would be so many, with over a mile, that it might not be the best way to go.”

The Board voted unanimously to give town staff permission to move forward on Stage One, with the stipulation that some version of Stage Two would be implemented immediately, if the first stage is deemed insufficient.

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