Residents Seek Traffic Safety Changes Near Creek Wood High School

Charlotte, TN — Dickson County officials plan to examine speeding, crashes and other safety concerns on Sherman and Hooper roads near the back entrance to Creek Wood High School after residents submitted a petition requesting action.

Commissioner Randy Simpkins raised the issue during the Dickson County Commission’s Sept. 8, 2026, work session. He said the petition contained more than 20 names and that residents had continued contacting him about appearing before the commission.

Simpkins said some residents want the county to consider installing speed humps or another traffic-calming measure. He asked for the matter to be placed on an upcoming work-session agenda so residents could explain their concerns directly to commissioners.

“I’d like to look at the safety issues of it,” Simpkins said.

The commission did not approve a particular solution at the meeting. Officials instead agreed to gather additional information before discussing possible changes.

Dickson County Sheriff Tim Eads said his office would conduct another speed survey and compile approximately five years of crash information for the area. He said the road has experienced sideswipe incidents and damage to mailboxes, although he was not aware of a recent serious crash there.

“I can provide some factual data, maybe help lead y’all where you want to go with it,” Eads told commissioners.

The discussion focused specifically on Sherman and Hooper roads near the school’s rear entrance and nearby homes—not on a countywide speed control policy.

Simpkins expressed concern about the road’s curves and questioned whether traditional speed humps could create additional risks if drivers approached them too quickly. He also raised concerns about how raised traffic control devices could affect snowplows during winter weather.

Eads said another option commissioners could examine is a speed table. Unlike a narrow speed hump, a speed table rises gradually, remains level for a short distance and then slopes back to the roadway.

Eads said properly designed speed tables are intended to be crossed comfortably at the posted speed. Drivers traveling faster would feel a much stronger impact.

He stopped short of recommending that the county install one, saying he would instead provide information for commissioners to evaluate.

The petition itself was not read into the meeting record, and petitioners and nearby residents did not provide detailed public comments during the discussion. Their firsthand accounts—including when speeding is most common and whether school arrival and dismissal create additional problems—could help officials determine the scope of the issue.

The requested speed survey and crash history will also be important. Those records could show how fast vehicles are traveling, which times of day have the most violations and whether crashes or property damage are concentrated in a particular section of the road.

Officials agreed to place the matter on a future work session agenda after the information is assembled.