Speed Bumps Slow Gateway Shoppers

If you haven’t been to Gateway Shopping Center recently, budget a few extra seconds for your next trip.

First, stop signs started to slow traffic on the roadway that hugs the stores in the Gateway to allow people from the parking lot to cross. More recently, the throughway that parallels Route 202 is dotted with speed bumps that should slow that traffic.

Bill Madway, property manager for Regency Centers, said his company was trying to be proactive in preventing accidents and making it easier for people to exit the parking field onto the ring road, to use the technical terms. The company hired a traffic consultant and engineer to assess the situation, and they recommended the speed bumps.

"Cars go pretty quickly along the ring road, and we identified what we thought was a situation that needed attention, to keep cars coming from the parking field ... from getting clipped by cars going quickly on the ring road itself," Madway said.

The speedbumps are the latest effort to enhance safety in the parking lot. Pedestrian paths, like the one in front of Trader Joe's, were recently enhanced, as well. 

Not everyone is happy about the new speed bumps. Chesterbrook resident Gina Mazzulla wrote:

Why are they so "hard" and high? You really need to come to a near complete stop to move over them without damaging your car.

Madway said the bumps are removable, and Regency Centers will keep evaluating them and remove them if they don't work out. He welcomes feedback—including the positive kind—at his email address, bmadway@regencycenters.com.

Do you think speed bumps are needed in the shopping center? Are you happy with this change? Share your thoughts in the comments below.