By Brian Shane

Staff Writer

(March 19, 2026) In response to resident complaints about speeders, Worcester County will institute a speed hump pilot program on Gum Point Road in Berlin.

Gum Point Road was selected for the pilot program after residents told county officials about drivers exceeding the 30-mph speed limit. Many inquired about a traffic-calming solution, according to Worcester County Commissioner Joe Mitrecic, who fielded those complaints.

One Gum Point Road resident already came before the commissioners in person to express her concerns that growth in the neighborhood was leading to traffic problems. She said traffic on the road had “quadrupled” in the last five years, and “nothing is being done.”

“I think we need speed bumps put in on Gum Point Road,” Laura Parker told the commissioners Oct. 7. “It is worth your life. I like to walk and take my dog for a walk. There are turns on Gum Point Road that I’ve almost been killed on.

“If it takes somebody dying, I guess I’ll be the one,” she added.

Results of a five-month speed study, which the commissioners approved Jan. 6, showed hundreds of Gum Point Road drivers were found to be traveling 10-15 mph over the limit along the 1.5-mile road that flanks Turville Creek north of Ocean Downs.

It also showed approximately 8.5 in 10 drivers in either direction were clocked going about 35 mph, with an average vehicle count of about 524 per day. The data from May and September 2025 came from two existing electronic speed tracking signs on the road.

Compounding the safety issue is that Gum Point Road is narrow, with no shoulders or sidewalks, and provides just enough room for two cars in either direction. A bridge over Turville Creek also has no shoulder.

Many private driveways also back directly onto the Gum Point and some sight lines are compromised as the roadway curves slightly.

In literal traffic mitigation terms, speed bumps and speed humps are not the same.

Bumps are meant to slow vehicles to a near-stop, around 5 mph. They’re usually abrupt and narrow enough to damage a vehicle’s suspension if struck at higher speeds. That’s why they can pose a danger to emergency response vehicles and can damage snowplows.

Speed humps, on the other hand, are wider and flatter. Designed to slow vehicles to 10-20 mph, they tend not to interfere with emergency vehicles.

They also require signage on both sides and thermoplastic reflective markings for night visibility and are typically used on roads where the speed limit is 25 mph, according to Worcester County Public Works Director Dallas Baker

Prior to installation, a public advertising period would give the community 30 days to provide comments to the commissioners on proposed speed hump locations. Each speed hump costs approximately $2,500 to install, Baker said in a Feb. 23 internal county memo.

Later, a follow-up speed study would be conducted to determine the effectiveness of the speed humps and presented to the commissioners, with recommendations to either continue or abandon the program, he added.

Commissioner Ted Elder (District 4, Central) has said he hopes the county would look into speed humps for other speeding hotspots, like St. Martins Neck Road.