Detroit Lakes residents voice safety concerns over South Shore Drive

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – Some Detroit Lakes residents voiced their concerns about the safety of drivers, bikers and pedestrians on South Shore Drive to members of the Detroit Lakes public works committee on Monday.

The calls for safer conditions along the main roadway on the south side of Detroit Lake come following the death of community leader and cyclist Mark Knutson, who was killed by a passing truck and trailer last month while riding near Muir Lane. 

Some residents wanted the installation of a dedicated bike path on the roadway, but Detroit Lakes City Engineer Jon Pratt said it would be extremely difficult to comply with state road regulations if they needed to expanded the street to include bi-directional bike lanes. 

Residents also said they wanted the members of the Detroit Lakes city council to look at lowering the speed limit to 30 mph or less, permanently installing radar notification signs and maybe even installing a type of speed hump along the roadway.

Brad Onsgard, a South Shore Drive resident, said he sees too much truck traffic along a roadway that should be a quiet neighborhood street. He also thinks something needs to be done about the constant speeding by motorists.

“The other thing is speeding,” said Onsgard. “All the time, flying by. Forty, fifty, sixty miles per hour. I think they stopped someone the other night doing 119 mph on that road. Somebody told me that. I don’t know if it’s true or not.”

He also wants police to take a more active role in combating the speeders on the roadway.

“Law enforcement could be there a little more than just driving by,” he said. “I think a speed trap setup in the morning when people are going to work, and then in the evening when they are coming home from work, a sporadically during the day. I appreciate them showing up, and they do a great job at being around, but I never see speed traps. They probably do it. I just never see them.”

Dan Josephson, alderman third ward, said he thinks a possible solution can be a combination of some expanded traffic enforcement from city police and some of the less intrusive suggestions made by the residents.

“I think, in general, a little bit does need to be looked at down there,” said Josephson. “Whether it’s a combination of (obstructive-view) parking issues, or traffic, and slowing people down … it also takes a little bit of, you see those red lights on the side of the road and you’ve got your neighbor being pulled over three times, your other neighbor been pulled over two times, it gets the word out. It’s like Verndale. You don’t speed through Verndale because you are going to get lit up if you are going faster than 42 miles per hour, so I think it’s a combination of things.”

The issue is expected to be addressed again in coming months by both the Detroit Lakes public works and public safety committees before making any recommendations to the whole city council.