Malvern Hills residents discuss traffic solutions after child hit on Rumbough Place

A child was hit by a minivan on Rumbough Place in the Malvern Hills community on Saturday. Since the incident, residents have been talking about traffic problems on the road and how to address them. The West Asheville Watch page on FB is the locus of discussion, but we’re highlighting it here because of the high interest in the topic. Asheville City Council Gordon Smith has expressed an interest in getting involved.

Some residents want speed bumps. Others want the road to be made a one-way thoroughfare. Here’s a selection of comments:

Shannon Rose

I walk in the park and on the Rumbough sidewalk everyday. I drive Rumbough everyday. The street should be one way, permanently, with speed humps, and a 15 mph limit. BTW the one-way change during the summer is intentionally disregarded after pool hours. The speed limit can only be enforced if the vehicle is going 10mph over (per police), and humps CAN slow drivers down. Been on Lakeshore since the humps were put there? Or Murdock? The park there on Murdock has a similar situation, busy road with parking on the roadside opposite the park. They now have humps and bump outs. We need that same kind of attention here.

Mikki Fox

I live on a bad cut through street. We got speed humps ten or so years ago, but they do very little to slow traffic. We call them redneck ramps. We got a bump out a few years ago. That helped a lot more. Still don’t let my kids walk alone, people still fly up our street. That said, I think Rumbaugh should be one way year round (heavily enforced), bumpouts and parkside parking only.

Hazel Ledwell

I say we can all agree to lower the speed limit. Maybe add some speed bumps. Make it a one way street. And people watch your kids closely. I know we already do. But it couldn’t hurt to throw that in. Accidents do happen sadly.

David Mosrie

I live at 98 Rumbough and have been trying in vain for about 5 years to get a substantive solution from the city to the truly large range of problems in the way the traffic and flow on our street is managed. you would think being a park front street, by definition an attractive nuisance for kids, pets and pedestrians, the safety issue would be a priority for the city, but in spite of literally dozens of points of contact by myself alone, and I am not the only one, nothing really has been been done to make it safer. I have three little ones and have lived in fear of yesterday’s incident for almost 7 years now. In response to some of the comments above….

Here’s the Asheville Police Department regarding the Dec. 1 incident:

December 1, 2012
Sgt. Mike Lamb
Criminal Investigations Division
Asheville Police Department

Asheville Police Traffic Team Investigates Child Hit by Car in Malvern Hills

On December 1, 2012 at 1448 hours the APD Traffic Safety Unit investigated an 8-year old child being struck by a vehicle on Rumbough Place. TSU Officers responded to the scene and their preliminary investigation indicates that a 2005 Toyota Sienna mini-van was traveling northbound on Rumbough Place when the 8-year old child darted westbound into the roadway between two parked vehicles in an attempt to cross over to Malvern Hills Park but she darted into the direct path of the Sienna

The child was transported to Mission Hospital with serious injuries that do not appear to be life threatening at this time. The investigation is ongoing with TSU assigned as the lead investigator and no charges at this time. Speed was not a factor in this traffic crash.