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Town of Brentwood, MD
Prince George's County
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Code
New Laws (1) Index
[Adopted 5-23-1994 (Ch. 144, Art. IV, of the 1986 Code)]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
BLOCK
A section of a street with houses located between two cross streets.
SPEED HUMP
A raised section of asphalt or other construction material constructed on a Town street or road in accordance with design specifications adopted by the Mayor and Town Council.
SPEED HUMP INSTALLATION
One or more speed humps spaced and located along Town streets and roads in accordance with policies and specifications adopted by the Mayor and Town Council.
A request for speed hump installation may be made by petition, as provided in this article.
A. 
Residents of a street may submit a petition to the Mayor and Town Council indicating that the residents of at least 70% of the households on the street desire the installation of speed humps on that street.
B. 
If speed hump installation is being requested for a block of a street, the petition must be signed by residents of at least 70% of the households on the block of the requested installation site, as well as those households on the street within 250 feet of the requested installation site, as determined by the Town Administrator.
C. 
The Town Clerk will validate the petition, determine the number of eligible households on the street and will compute the percentage of households signing the petition. If that percentage is 70% or greater, the Town Clerk will so inform the Mayor and Town Council, which shall schedule a public hearing.
D. 
The Town Clerk is authorized to develop a standard form to assist residents in petitioning for speed humps, and the Town Clerk shall develop and distribute a standard request for speed hump installation petition form.
A. 
Conduct of public hearing.
(1) 
After having been notified by the Town Clerk that a valid petition has been received, the Mayor and Town Council shall schedule a public hearing to solicit the opinions of the entire neighborhood and the Town at large.
(2) 
The Town Clerk shall send notice of the public hearing to all residents of the street or block, as the case may be, which is proposed to receive speed hump installation, and the public hearing shall be advertised in the Brentwood News Briefs, on cable television and in any other manner deemed appropriate by the Mayor and Town Council. After conducting the public hearing and declaring the hearing record closed, the Mayor and Town Council shall announce its decision within 15 days of the close of the hearing record. The Mayor and Town Council, by majority vote, may extend the time limit for issuing such decision.
(3) 
The Mayor and Town Council may approve, approve with modifications or deny the requested speed hump installation.
(4) 
The Town Clerk shall notify the residents of the street or block, as the case may be, which was proposed to receive speed hump installation of the decision of the Mayor and Town Council, which decision shall also be publicized in the same manner as the advertising of the public hearing.
The following criteria are intended to guide the Mayor and Town Council in determining whether a request for speed hump installation is reasonable and justified. These shall not be considered exclusive criteria, and the Mayor and Town Council may consider factors and circumstances other than those listed below.
A. 
The street proposed for speed hump installation has an identified speeding problem which cannot be alleviated in any other reasonable way than by a speed hump installation. Such a problem can be identified through a combination of resident complaints, police radar surveillance and ticketing practices, accident statistics or a history of previous efforts to control speeding on the street.
B. 
The street carries a higher volume of nonresidential traffic than would normally be expected.
C. 
The street has not been identified and is not used by the Fire Departments serving the Town of Brentwood as the primary fire and rescue route into or out of the Town.
D. 
The installation of speed humps can be assessed for their potential impact on public transportation.
E. 
The potential impact of speed humps on adjacent neighborhoods can be assessed.
F. 
A technical study provided by the Town Administrator commenting on any hill, curve or street conditions of concern and the placement of the desired hump(s) can be assessed.
A. 
Upon request of residents of 70% of the households on a street or block containing a speed hump installation and after at least six months have elapsed from the initial installation of the speed hump(s), the Mayor and Town Council may consider removing the speed hump installation.
B. 
The request for removal must be made by petition, subject to the procedures and conditions specified above in §§ 305-37 and 305-38.
A. 
Nothing in this article shall be construed as prohibiting or preempting the Mayor and Town Council, at its own initiative, from installing, altering, maintaining or removing a speed hump or speed hump installation. Residents affected by such installation, alteration, maintenance or removal shall be appropriately notified of any proposed change, and such individuals and the Town at large will have an opportunity to be heard by the Mayor and Town Council before the change is adopted and implemented.
B. 
The Mayor and Town Council may initiate installation of speed humps on streets adjacent to neighborhood parks, playgrounds and schools or any other location which it deems appropriate and necessary.
C. 
Nothing in this article shall be construed as prohibiting or preempting the Mayor and Town Council from ordering the installation of other speed-control devices in the event that it is determined that a speed hump installation is inappropriate.