By Robert Medley
Managing Editor
Driving north on Piedmont Road, also known as State Highway 4 north of the Northwest Expressway, the speed limit is 55.
Over a mile north, on the north side of Williams Discount Foods, with homes and businesses of Piedmont near, the speed limit then drops to 35 mph. It is one of the busiest spots in Piedmont for traffic enforcement work by police officers.
There are plenty of drivers who are sailing well over the posted speed limit by the time the lights of a patrol car flash on near the grocery store and at a number of other places in a growing suburb with plenty of rural areas still.
The number of traffic tickets written by Piedmont police officers went down in 2021 compared to 2020, data provided by the Piedmont Municipal Court showed. Court officials made records of all tickets written for traffic violations in 2020 available to the Piedmont-Surrey Gazette for review recently.
The total number of citations and warnings written by officers in 2021 was 1,747.
In 2020, the number of citations and warnings written by officers was 1,986.
In 2021, Piedmont Municipal Court collected $220,251 in fines for traffic violation convictions.
In 2020, the City of Piedmont Municipal Court collected $214,918 from traffic violation fines. Not all of the money goes to the city, with much of it going to state fees.
The roads in Kingfisher County to the north of Piedmont, and rural parts of Canadian County, there are lot of speeders who are caught on roads that enter Piedmont on all sides, roads such as Azalea/Waterloo Road, Edmond Road/N.W. 178, Washington Avenue/N.W. 164.
The speed limit is 55 between Northwest Expressway and N.W. 150, before slowing near Williams to 35. Frequently, drivers fail to lower their own speeds too often in places where traffic safety is the top priority and concern, said Police Chief Scott Singer.
“We have people who are not only residents but people who are involved in construction or transporting some sort of commerce, those people also choose to exceed the speed limit. Therefore, our primary concern with traffic enforcement has been speeding.
Speeding causes the majority of accidents, followed by inattention and others who fail to yield to traffic signs, Singer said.
Entrances to housing additions on two-lane roads are also places speed should be lower, Singer said.
“Those issues create the fast majority of our traffic collisions so therefore that is where our traffic enforcement efforts are targeted,” Chief Scott Singer.
On roads entering Piedmont from all sides, at sunrise and at dusk, deer are commonly seen. Many of the big bucks take their time to cross the road, as well. There were no deer versus vehicle collisions in the Piedmont city limits in 2020, but there were a number in the county jurisdictions surrounding Piedmont last year, Singer said.
There was a time when officers rigorously enforced school zones.
Parents dropping off and picking up children causes congestion. There are still some speeders caught on Edmond and Piedmont Roads where “it is more open to traffic and travels a little faster,” four lanes of traffic flow on Piedmont Road with two lanes on Edmond Road in housing addition areas and near
Although there are areas where more traffic enforcement is needed than others, Piedmont does not have “speed traps,” Singer said.
“Some people believe officers in smaller communities have traps set up specifically for the purpose of generating revenue. That is not our focus. Our focus is ensuring that traffic operates in an orderly fashion,” Singer said.
There are more vehicles traveling in Piedmont these days than in the past, he said.
“The increase we have seen in the past year has to do with the town growth that we are seeing,” Singer said. “It is evidence of a lot of new home construction and oil well site construction. Those, things are bringing more traffic into our city. Wells are serviced at night too and with the increase in our population as we slowly and steadily grow it will continue to have an impact on traffic.”.
Piedmont’s population is about 8,000 to 9,000 today, city officials estimate. The most recent census data from 2020 has not been reported.
The number of warnings increased in 2021, Singer. Money from fines also go to county sources.
“I think it will come as a revelation that the number of citations was lower, but that must be taken with a grain of salt due to an increase in the number of warnings. Also, it’s important to note that warnings don’t generate revenue, and some citations are filed in the county and therefore, whatever penalties are assessed generally go to county coffers.”
There have been traffic safety concerns with speeders in the addition Windmill Park. Ward I City Councilman Kevan Blasdel said.
Blasdel said he received a telephone call from a resident in Windmill Park in early December who said she thought the speed limit should be lowered to 15 mph. She complained about people driving too fast when she is backing out of the driveway and people are going too fast. Blasdel said he brought the issue up at a recent city council meeting, but there have not been any further complaints about the he school bus stops and in the neighborhood.
The school enrollment has also gone up as well as the population on the borders of Piedmont in Oklahoma City and Yukon.
“Our school population has increased greatly, so there is another issue we deal with traffic, not only parents bringing children to school but students in school who are of age to operate a vehicle.”
There are 11 police officers in Piedmont and two to three officers are on a shift at one time. With COVID-19, officers have had shortages of manpower, but continue to have the duty to enforce traffic laws.
“Our officers are well-trained in the latest approach techniques and attempt always to ensure their safety and the safety of the public and the safety of the person they are contacting,” Singer said.
