Over the years, the following questions have been raised: “Why are the speed limits in Belle Meade so low?” “Why does the police department enforce those limits so vigorously?” This article will explain those questions and provide an overview of our ongoing speed awareness program.

The city streets of Belle Meade were designed and constructed decades before the automobile age. The scenic streets of Belle Meade are used extensively by pedestrians and consist of low rolling hills, sharp curves, intersections, and numerous residential drive connections

The streets of Belle Meade were designed in an era where motorized vehicles were unheard of! Many of the streets, used daily by hundreds of motorized vehicles today, were only used by horses and pedestrians. Many safety factors, including reduced reaction time, were not in the realm of understanding by those early street designers. With the explosive growth of the automobile, the City of Belle Meade was forced to adapt to the changing times and technology.

All streets in Belle Meade are posted with speed limit signs. This posted speed may appear low to the infrequent visitor to the Belle Meade area. As mentioned above, the streets of Belle Meade contain many situations that create hazardous situations when a vehicle’s speed is above the posted limits. With the reduced speed limit, a significant amount of reaction time is gained to allow all drivers and pedestrians to safely avoid potentially dangerous situations. The safety of the residents and of the visitors to Belle Meade is a major concern to the Police Department.

Several years ago, the City of Belle Meade purchased a speed monitoring awareness trailer (S.M.A.R.T.). This highly visible device passively alerts drivers to the posted speed of Belle Meade streets and of their own speed. If a the S.M.A.R.T. device detects an automobile traveling at a speed greater than that which is posted, a flashing red warning indicator will alert the driver of the vehicle that their speed exceeds posted limits. This feature gives the driver of the vehicle the opportunity to reduce speed without being given a citation.

The S.M.A.R.T device also records the number of vehicles traveling on the roadway and the speed of those vehicles. This information is used to by the Police Department to determine traffic flow patterns and identify areas that need increased law enforcement presence to ensure speed limits are observed.

The S.M.A.R.T. device can be requested by any resident of Belle Meade to monitor the traffic on their street. If you would like to take advantage of this service, please notify the Belle Meade Police Department at 615-297-0241.