Motorists who use East Glenn Valley Drive in Athens will soon be reminded to slow down along the roadway.

City Council member voted Monday to allow the installation of speed cushions across the road, which runs between U.S. 72 West and West Washington Street.

District 4 Councilman Joseph Cannon, who represents residents in the area, requested the improvements. Mayor Ronnie Marks has said motorists have been “flying” down the road.

Cannon said the speed cushions are not abrupt like speed bumps. He does not yet know when the speed cushions will be installed but he expects in the near future.

What are speed cushions?

Speed cushions are recycled rubber cushions installed in multiple sections across the width of a roadway. The removable devices slow cars and trucks that ride over them but allow vehicles with wide axles, like ambulances and firetrucks, to straddle them without slowing response times. The reusable cushions, which are 6 feet by 7 feet wide and about 3 inches high, are placed on a road that speeders frequent.

The speed cushions cost about $1,000 each and should last about 15 years, Cannon said. Glenn Valley will need three of them. A total of $5,000 will be set aside by the city to cover the cost of the cushions, the cost of signage to alert motorists to the upcoming cushions, and the cost of installation, he said.

If the devices work well on East Glenn Valley Drive, the city may use them elsewhere to calm traffic.

Stop signs elsewhere

Also Monday, council members approved four-way stops for the intersections of both Pryor and Houston streets and Hobbs and Madison streets. They will be paid for with gasoline tax revenue.