By Glenn Rolfe

SEAFORD — The ride along two city streets will soon be bumpier.

Following a presentation by Seaford Police Chief Marshall Craft and public works director Berley Mears, City Council on Tuesday approved the temporary placement of speed bumps on Nylon Boulevard and Magnolia Drive as a pilot program to reduce speeding.

Driven by ongoing complaints about excessive speed, the bumps will be accompanied by signage and could be in place in several weeks.

“We have had ongoing complaints for speeding down Nylon. It’s like a dragstrip because it’s so long, and it’s uninterrupted,” Chief Craft said. “We’ve done enforcement in all these areas. We’re getting (complaints) throughout the city.”

The speed bumps will be installed on both sides of Nylon Boulevard, between West Poplar and Rust streets and West Spruce and West Locust streets.

Another will be placed on Magnolia Drive between Rose Tree Lane and Crossgate Drive.

Mayor David Genshaw asked if property owners in those areas have been informed.

“I understand the goal of speed bumps,” he said. “But I also know the annoying side of speed bumps.”

Chief Craft replied, “No matter where you put it, people are probably not going to be thrilled. You always have unintended consequences. People could start using other streets.”

The speed bumps are portable and will be removed in the fall, in advance of winter weather and potential snowplowing.

The city’s plan is to publicize this initiative, while the police department tracks complaints about the bumps to determine if they are a viable solution.

“There may even be a discussion later on down the road. Maybe we need to put additional stop signs,” said Chief Craft. “But once again, everything has an unintended consequence. You are going to potentially have crashes. Right now, it’s speeding down a thruway. If you start putting stop signs (up) and people driving and running stop signs, you could have crashes or complaints for people running stop signs.”