Judy Earle, who lives not far from Warwick Neck Avenue, was preparing to attend the Warwick Neck Improvement Association meeting last Wednesday when a shattering noise echoed through the neighborhood. A car had crashed through the fence at the end of Warwick Neck Avenue and, fortunately, stopped before reaching Warwick Light.

Ironically, the incident punctuated a topic of concern – drag racing and speeding – at the annual Neck meeting held at the Warwick Country Club, attended by more than 70 residents.

Mayor Frank Picozzi fielded a range of questions from plans for new high schools to Bayside sewers and the need for individual home pumps. He highlighted plans for an Apponaug Village winter festival which he sees becoming an annual event focused around the outdoor skating rink to be built behind City Hall. He said neighborhood speeding is an issue across the city and the police department’s traffic division issues approximately 250 violations (not all for speeding) weekly.

Neck residents said they have been awakened by early morning drag racing on Warwick Neck Avenue. The straightway is marked with the rubber marks of squealing tires. The posted speed limit is 25 MPH, and that is difficult to maintain without braking on the downhill stretch from Aldrich Avenue to Samuel Gorton Drive.

Picozzi didn’t have an answer for drag racing, but observed efforts to enforce traffic laws frequently snare neighboring residents and the very people complaining that motorists are driving too fast, ignoring stop signs and cutting through neighborhoods at restricted times. He suggested a speed sled showing motorists the speed at which they are traveling could help.

So, what are police issuing between 175 and 275 violations city-wide weekly?

Col. Bradford Connor, provided answers in an email last week. He said it depends on the campaign the department is running.

“For instance over the last few weeks with the start of school we issued dozens of tickets in crosswalk zones,” he wrote.

 However, he adds, the number one complaint in the past 2 decades has been speeding.

“Often times it a perceived problem as vehicles may appear or sound faster than they actually are. We have covert monitoring capabilities that measure speed. When we receive complaints we use this equipment to obtain the actual speeds of vehicles passing. The last study on Warwick Neck Ave. indicated the average speeds to be 33 MPH with 85% travelling under 38MPH. “

He said the department has written 95 tickets on Warwick Neck Ave so far this year. The department has not received any complaints of drag racing on Warwick Avenue this year.

Jonathan Knight, President of the Warwick Neck Improvement Association said in an email speeding on Warwick Neck Avenue, as well as Randall and Narragansett Bay Avenues, “is an ongoing concern.” He said speed signs can be a “goad to drive faster” and that “speed bumps are not always welcomed by residents who drive the streets regularly, and issuing more speeding tickets diverts limited police resources. Still, the need to reduce speeding on WNA is compelling, and before things get worse it must be coped with.”