MANSFIELD — It was a much quieter summer on the “Miracle Mile” this year, likely due to the installation of weekend speed bumps along Park Avenue West between Home and Trimble streets.

Safety Services Director Keith Porch told the City Council Tuesday evening that the number of crashes, reported incidents, calls for assistance, car stops and tickets were all down significantly from June 21 to Aug. 22 compared to previous years.

During the two months that the speed bumps were installed from late Friday afternoon to Sunday morning each weekend, just two cars were stopped and eight tickets were issued.

Speed ​​humps, first used on June 21, were scheduled to be placed on that section of road for the final time this coming weekend, but Porch said they will not be used.

The devices, along with an “anti-cruising” ordinance approved by the City Council in May, were part of an effort to curb lawlessness on Miracle Mile, which law enforcement officials say has become a problem with speeding motorcycles, drag racing and visiting guests.

In 2021, 2022 and 2023, Mansfield Police received an average of 600 reports per year regarding the affected section of the four-lane road, which is an average of 50 reports per month.

According to Porch, there have been 143 reports in 2024 (up until the end of August), which is an average of about 18 reports per month.

According to Porch, none of the 13 crashes reported in the area between June 21 and Aug. 22 were serious and none involved speed bumps.

He added that none of the eight tickets were for alleged breaches of “free movement” regulations.

The law restricts vehicle traffic on Friday and Saturday nights between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. in the area along West Fourth Street and Park Avenue West between Home and Trimble streets.

During the summer, Porch said, police did not reduce patrols in the area, despite the presence of speed bumps.

“We had officers patrolling Park Avenue,” he said.

“I want to make it clear that just because there were speed bumps on Park Avenue, there was no enforcement or there were no officers on Park Avenue. That’s not true,” the former police chief said.

He said the combination of speed bumps and the speed limit ordinance had produced “phenomenal” results.

“Traffic was severely restricted there, which resulted in no action being taken by law enforcement,” Porch said.

Efforts to improve safety on the Miracle Mile began in the fall of 2023, when law enforcement officials began drafting regulations to ban the cruises that had been postponed until this spring.

Police Chief Jason Bammann told the Mansfield City Council in April that weekend nights on the Miracle Mile aren’t what they were when he spent his youth there.

“When we were there, (when) my parents were there, people were really coming out to socialize,” Bammann said. “This crowd is there to just wreak havoc. It’s a completely different crowd.

“We’ve had calls there about weapons. We’ve had calls there about overdoses. So it’s not the community it used to be.”

One accident on the Miracle Mile in the summer of 2023 resulted in the death of an Ontario man who was allegedly speeding on his motorcycle.

Porch acknowledged Tuesday that the speed bumps are unpopular with some members of the public, many of whom have expressed their displeasure on social media.

“Of course, there are two sides to the coin when we deal with speed bumps. I can tell you that the administration… the mayor… we talked about these speed bumps.

He added that installing and removing speed bumps every weekend incurs costs that have to be borne by paying city workers.

“We try to be budget conscious,” Porch said.

He added that city officials were aware that there were speed bumps on Miracle Mile throughout the day on Saturday, which hindered traffic in the area.

“When the speed bumps were up on Park Avenue all day Saturday … we were targeting drivers who weren’t causing those problems (speeding), which we didn’t like,” he said.

“I know the mayor certainly heard the feedback and we didn’t like it,” Porch said. “That wasn’t the most fun part of it.

“But we heard both. People congratulating us for taking a proactive stand and for stopping this nonsense that was going on, and also — and also from the public telling us to do better (and) get (the speed bumps) off the road.

“So we definitely heard it from both sides,” Porch said.