The County Commission rejected another request to regulate and post a 35 mph speed limit on Ragland Bottom Road during its Aug. 28 meeting.
The latest rejection by the board comes after commissioners Jerry Adcock and Anita Puckett offered and seconded the motion, after residents in the 5th District put forth a signed petition in hopes the commission would finally agree to lower the limit from an unmarked county road - currently 55 mph if no signs posted - to a limit that could be enforced and would become law.
A voice-vote found little support for the request, and it failed to pass. Comments during discussion of the matter seemed to favor not regulating the road due to the fact the county doesn't have the resources to enforce it.
“My worry is that it gives the residents a false sense of security because there is not enough (law enforcement) manpower to patrol it. We could probably bankrupt the county trying to put signs up (everywhere) and while they would hold weight because we voted on them, unless the sheriff saw somebody speeding nothing would ever get solved,” said 3rd District Commissioner Jack Barton.
Residents of Ragland Bottom Road who signed the petition feel the commission isn't looking out for their best interest and feel it isn't a case of just any county road, but Ragland Bottom is a lake-access road with increased traffic flow.
As for a false sense of security, Ragland Bottom resident Jeremy Colwell, who spear-headed the peition, felt personally offended by the remark and thought it reflected a thought process that the county commission thought its Ragland Bottom residents were of below-average intelligence.
"We know it will not solve the problem and do they think we're stupid?" Colwell asked. "There's a few college graduates out here and we're not stupid. Lowering the speed limit will at least make driving at 55 mph or more illegal should something happen. Then it could be enforced if the county did have a patrol in the area.
"We’re not asking for a sense of security, we’re asking for a controlled environment on our road," said Colwell. "Someone recently driving with a truck towing a boat came through my neighbor's yard, over-corrected and almost went through my fence. My children could have been out here playing; my wife could have been out here getting in her vehicle. Is the county going to pay for it when a lawsuit is filed for destruction of property or loss of life?"
Another objection voiced during last week's meeting was there were no prior accidents reported on Ragland Bottom Road.
“There have been no reported accidents on that stretch of road (Ragland Bottom Road). It’s not an accident prone highway,” added 6th District Commissioner Betty Atnip.
Commissioner Adcock looks at it as more of a preventive step that could be taken before something tragic happens.
"It’s a safety issue; I know people who have all lost pets along these roads. Thank God it’s not a loss of life, but it would be a precautionary move," Adcock said. "A lot of people might realize folks drive the way they do on these roads and they look at like it as an added expense for the county rather than just erring on the side of caution. If I could do it again I would have liked a roll call vote so people would know where everyone stood."
While Adcock still would be willing to pursue the matter, Commissioner Puckett thinks there isn't much more that can be done.
"The county didn’t want to get in the business of regulating speed on all the county roads," Puckett said. "There’s nothing more I can do about it. I seconded the motion and we put it before the committee, but it ultimately has to pass for anything to be done. I wanted to appease my constituents but I can’t do it myself. I think it would be a beneficial thing if it were implemented as a safety measure. I can’t speak on why others voted the way they did, I just know I did what I could to make it happen."
Colwell has become frustrated with the efforts and plans on looking into relocation options.
"I’ve been going about this for six months and was told no at every meeting, so I finally got a petition. That is my civil right; the right to petition," he said.  "When I try to speak at these meetings, I’m told to be quiet and that’s a violation of my rights. This is just the good 'ole boy BS of DeKalb County."