A petition from residents in the Spring Ridge subdivision influenced the Bloomington City Council to reduce the speed limit on a section of Hershey Road.
Over 150 signatures supported a decrease in the speed limit from 40 miles per hour to 30 between Fort Jesse Road and Rainbow Avenue. Bloomington Alderman Joni Painter, who lives in nearby Hedgewood Subdivision, said she has had many close calls. She said the change will make the area safer.
"It's important to me because that's what a lot of people wanted," said Painter. "I'm hopeful that this will not only help the people at Spring Ridge, but possibly help the people further on down where they have a lot of speeding problems, too."
Painter said the speed limit change will create consistency for drivers in the Twin Cities. Drivers will not have to quickly change their speed when traveling across the area.
"When you go from Bloomington to Normal, a lot of the time you get caught short because you don't remember that you need to reduce your speed," said Painter. "Hopefully this will help people not get so many speeding tickets because things are more consistent."
The new speed limit signs will be installed within 45 to 60 days. Temporary signs will also be placed ahead of the official sign to warn drivers of the change.
Editor's Note: This story was edited at 8:52 A.M. Wednesday 12/21/17 to accurately reflect Joni Painter's residence.
