MANSFIELD, Ohio — This summer, the City of Mansfield has been focused on curbing speeding along Park Avenue.
The city has been placing speed bumps along the road on weekends. Throughout the summer, the city has installed speed bumps on Friday evening through Sunday morning. The bumps have come down during the daytime hours so drivers are not impacted.
Mansfield's Safety Service Director Keith Porch said Park Avenue, also known as the Miracle Mile, has a long history of cruising dating back to the 1960s.
In the last five years, cruising has turned into drag racing. Porch said there have been reports of drag racers driving at speeds of 100 miles per hour or more, which has led to noise complaints from the public.
Porch said drag racing has even been linked to fatalities in recent years.
He said the Mansfield Police Department has stepped up enforcement along Park Avenue.
The city started exploring speed bumps back in 2024 through a pilot program.
Initially, the speed bumps were installed on Friday night and did not come down until Sunday morning. Adjustments were made after receiving community feedback.
Porch said the speed bumps along with increased police enforcement have lowered speeds and put a stop to drag racing along the Miracle Mile.
"The speed bumps work in conjunction with enforcement efforts of the police," he said. "Obviously, numerous traffic violations or traffic citations have been issued to address those concerns. I can tell you that they had a profound impact in curbing drag racing. The incidents of us having 100 plus miles an hour drag strip through there has ceased because of the functions of the speed bump."
Porch also said drag racing along Park Avenue is a summer problem. The weekend speed bumps will stop in September. Porch said the speed bumps could return next summer depending on what kind of activity police see along the road.
