VILLA HILLS, Ky. — It happened again.
Another mailbox is out of commission and another homeowner has to buy a replacement after yet another car veered off Buttermilk Pike Tuesday morning.
A doorbell camera recorded the crash, which shows a car driving east up the inclined stretch of road between Mary Street and Meadow Drive when it appears to hit the curb and then plow through a mailbox. The driver keeps going, leaving the knocked-over mailbox — and the car's front bumper — behind.
"I think that's our first bumper that we've had," neighbor Leslie Scott said. "Before I saw the video (my neighbor) was standing out in the driveway with this bumper, and I was like ... I didn't notice the mailbox was gone."
Scott said mailboxes are common casualties on her block. She's replaced four in five years. Her neighbor will now be replacing her second in as many months.
"I posted on Facebook when this video came out: 'What is it about our little stretch of Buttermilk like this?'" Scott said.
Scott first spoke with us in April after a doorbell camera recorded a car catching a curb, skipping down the street and driving through front yards before crashing into a tree.
At that time Scott blamed the crash on speeding, which she stressed was her main concern along the thoroughfare. Villa Hills Police Chief Matthew Hall said while speeding was a factor in the April incident, the teen driver had fallen asleep at the wheel, likely causing him to step harder on the gas.
Hall assured he would look into concerns of excessive speeding down the stretch of Buttermilk Pike by running a speed study. We checked back in with Hall on Thursday when he confirmed his department did collect data.
Two days following our initial conversation, Hall said a speed radar known as Kustom Signals Stealth Stat II Covert Traffic Data Collector was deployed. It surveyed speeds between Sunglow Street and Meadowview Drive for 11 days.
"It has been found that this device is the most accurate way of collecting information without alerting drivers and motorists to its presence. Obviously, with any study, we want to remove any factors that could skew the results of the data and this device does this effectively," Hall said in an email.
A summary of the study determined that the average speed of vehicles in along the stretch of Buttermilk Pike was 32 MPH. The 85th percentile speed for both directions of travel was determined to be 37 miles per hour. The posted speed limit on the road is 35 mph.
"Based upon the speed study, it does not find a persistent and systemic speed issue. This is not to say that speeding does not occur on this stretch of roadway or for any roadway for that matter," Hall said. "The Villa Hills Police Department continues to monitor that stretch of roadway and extra patrols the area for violations."
Since April 23 — the day our original story was published — Hall said his officers issued six citations with a total of 11 charges and one arrest on Buttermilk Pike.
The charges vary from equipment violations, registration issues, no operator's license, and one careless driving. VHPD issued four warnings during this time frame as well.
Hall also weighed in on Tuesday's incident. He said speed was not to blame, but rather inattention and sun glare. The driver pulled off a side road and called in a report following the crash, Hall said.
"We will continue to monitor the complaints on the roadway and take enforcement actions where necessary with the continued hope to resolve the issues and concerns of our residents," Hall said.
So if speeding is not a persistent issue, why do neighbors continue to keep a tally of mailbox takedowns?
We posted on Facebook asking that question. It didn't take long for neighbors and other area residents to offer another possible reason.
Some suggested the road itself is causing problems. It curves, slopes and narrows.
"Seems to me the real issue is how narrow that eastbound lane of Buttermilk is in that area. If I'm staying centered in my lane between Mary Street and Meadow View Drive I am very close to that giant curb and those mailboxes," one person wrote.
"I don’t think the “running off the road” situation started happening more frequently until they redid the road and added the high curbs. The road doesn’t seem to be as wide as it used to be prior to that. I’d be curious if they made it less wide and drivers are hitting the high curb and losing control of their cars," another person wrote.
"You should also see why they didn’t address not straightening the road when they resurfaced and put in the new curbs and sidewalks. Actually made it harder to make the turns at legal speeds. It is as if they designed the road for street-legal golf carts," read another comment.
We brought these concerns to City Administrator Craig Bohman. He pointed to a 2019 road construction project.
"Buttermilk Pike predates the city’s founding in 1962. It was a county road surrounded by farms and did not have any curbs. Villa Hills grew up around it," Bohman said in an email. "The road was transferred to the City by the County in the early 2000s. Buttermilk was replaced using a combination of city and state/federal grant funds in 2019. Curbs and drainage were added to address flooding primarily at the Mary Street intersection, however the existing road alignment was used to keep from moving the road closer to existing homes. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet signed off on the road design and required the box curbs."
Bohman said his understanding is that recent issues with vehicles leaving the roadway along the short stretch of Buttermilk Pike were due to medical issues, driver fatigue, inattention and sun glare. Nevertheless, the road has curves and elevation changes that drivers need to be mindful of when traveling between Collins and Rogers Roads, he said.
"The speed data we have suggests the current 35 MPH speed limit is appropriate. Given that the road sees about 3,300 cars per day these incidents, while dramatic, are infrequent compared to the number of cars that safely traverse Buttermilk every day," Bohman said.
As for Scott, she said she's not as concerned with cars speeding down the road. But she won't rule out another felled mailbox in the near future.
"I said we really should get mailbox insurance," said Scott.
