Community members expressed concern at both the volume of traffic (I-95 overflow, summer/weekend travel, and “rush hour” traffic) as well as consistent speeding on Jamestown Road. Police Department staff shared that during I-95 and Rte 1 backups they try to station officers at Jamestown Road to limit use of the road and reduce speeds on the road. They have gone so far as to drop “police reported ahead” pins on Waze and Google Maps as well as driving very slowly down the road to reduce the noted speed the GPS algorithm’s are seeing in traffic. Police staff also asked residents assistance in identifying areas where they can park to run radar to reduce speeds. Several locations were identified. Some residents also shared concerns that police are targeting community members rather than out of towners, and police staff reiterated that they don’t target anyone except those violating the law…in this case speeders.
The Town Manager also shared that Henrico County has installed signs saying something similar to, “Please ignore your GPS. This is not a cut through Street”. He instructed the Public Works Director to find out more about these signs and evaluate whether they would be appropriate to add at Jamestown Road. He also made clear that while these signs may modify some behavior, they are not legally enforceable. Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the weeks and months to come based upon feedback received at this meeting.
Follow Up: Public Works investigated options and will install a large sign southbound stating to Ignore GPS and that there is no left turn for thru traffic onto Jamestown Road. Sign is not a typical sign and needs to be specifically fabricated. Staff will install once complete.
As statistical backup to these statements regarding targeting of Jamestown residents Chief Aronhalt shared the following information to be shared with Jamestown residents.
2022 98 summonses written 0 summons issued to residents.
2023 10 summonses written 0 summonses issued to residents.
In 2022 we issued summonses to Ashland residents on Jamestown, but none had their residential address on Jamestown. One individual had a post office box in Ashland. It is possible they could reside on Jamestown. As a result, this is a perception and not a reality.