Dog's Death Inspires Petition Drive for Slower Speeds on Sea Isle City Street

By Donald Wittkowski In one horrifying moment, JoAnne and Terry Mason lost their beloved dog, Sadie, when she was struck and killed by a delivery truck in front of their home on Venicean Road. JoAnne Mason was outside her house screaming for the truck to slow down when Sadie was hit on Sept. 1. “My wife was devastated,” Terry Mason said. The death of the 3-year-old mixed breed, a certified companion dog, has served as the flashpoint for a neighborhood petition drive in Sea Isle City organized by the Masons to have traffic slow down on Venicean Road. On Tuesday, Terry Mason presented City Council with a copy of the petition, which he said contains the signatures of nearly all of the Venicean Road homeowners. Councilman Jack Gibson, who lives on Venicean, has signed it and supports efforts to halt speeding on the narrow cul-de-sac that winds through a neighborhood of bayfront homes. The posted speed limit on Venicean is already a snail-like 15 mph, but the Masons say it is blatantly ignored by delivery trucks serving the Yacht Club of Sea Isle City at the end of the road. Terry Mason holds a copy of the petition signed by Venicean Road homeowners that he submitted to City Council on Tuesday. The petition calls on the city to step in and install speed bumps on Venicean to force drivers to slow down. “With speed bumps in place, the driver must slow down to a speed of 15 miles an hour while traveling over them. These speeds ensure enough time for the drivers to stop before killing another dog, damaging another vehicle or killing a child,” the petition says. Gibson, however, would prefer “speed humps” on Venicean. Speed humps consist of a slight bulge in the road that wouldn’t be as jarring as the better-known speed bumps commonly used in parking lots. “This is an effective tool and relatively inexpensive tool to calm traffic,” Gibson said in a recent interview. The petition primarily blames speeding delivery trucks that serve the yacht club, but it also says that summer visitors to the popular shore town are among the worst speeders. “We also bear the brunt of visitors during the summer months who also think our road is part of the main highway, also ignoring safe speed limits,” the petition says. “Many of our cars have been clipped by fast moving vehicles on our road.” Among those who have signed the petition is Jim Collins, the general manager of the Yacht Club of Sea Isle City. “Whatever would increase safety on the street, I’m all for it,” Collins said in an interview Wednesday. “We want to do everything we can to promote a safe environment in town.” The Yacht Club of Sea Isle City is located at the end of Venicean Road on the bay. Collins said the yacht club already has a program in place to make delivery drivers, members, guests and employees aware of the 15 mph speed limit on Venicean. For instance, letters have been sent to all of the yacht club’s vendors to emphasize the need for caution by their delivery drivers. The yacht club’s members and employees are also given reminders about the danger of speeding on the residential road, Collins explained. “We try to be proactive in avoiding any potential issue,” he said. Terry Mason praised Collins for cooperating with the petition drive. Collins knows Terry and JoAnne Mason well because they are members of the yacht club. Collins said he was also heartbroken over the death of their dog and paid the Masons a visit afterward to express his sympathy. The petition says Sadie “was run down by a speeding delivery truck” serving the yacht club, but Collins indicated that may not be the case. Collins said he spoke with the truck driver, who insisted he wasn’t speeding. “He said he had a perfect driving record,” Collins said. Tragically, the dog was not on a leash and ran into the street, Collins and Terry Mason said. Mason is worried that the next time there is an accident on Venicean Road, it could be a child that is hit and killed. “I’m not trying to cause a big stink over this thing. I just want to see if we can prevent anyone from getting run over,” he said. In their petition, neighbors on Venicean Road complain that drivers are ignoring the 15 mph speed limit. The narrowness of Venicean Road is also adding to the dangers, Mason and Collins agreed. When cars park on one side, it effectively reduces the road to a one-lane street, Collins pointed out. “I call it the Venicean shuffle, because when you’re coming in one direction, you’re pretty much playing chicken with a car coming in the other direction,” he said. In the meantime, Collins stressed that he and the yacht club “are open” to any suggestions for making the street safer. “If it ultimately makes it a safer environment for everybody, it’s a good thing,” he said. Now that the petition has been submitted to the city, the signatures will be verified by the town clerk. If 75 percent of the neighbors agree to the speed humps, the city must consider the petition, Gibson explained. Gibson wants three speed humps built on Venicean Road between 44^th Street and the yacht club. No speed humps would be placed on 44^th Street, he said. City Council President Mary Tighe said the governing body will consult with the police department and Mayor Leonard Desiderio’s administration on the petition.