Sometimes it pays to be persistent.

For more than a year and a half, a group of Mariner’s Cove residents has been working to lower the 50 mph hour speed limit on a half-mile section of Polnell Road and their efforts recently paid off with a small but welcome victory.

Despite the results of a traffic study that indicated a speed reduction was not warranted, a study prompted by a petition the group submitted last year, Island County officials have decided to take another look after receiving a second petition from the same group earlier this month.

Gary Hansen, a Mariners Cove resident, said he doesn’t begrudge the long process to lower speed limits and is grateful the county is willing to review the matter again. The section of highway under discussion intersects with Fireweed and Mariner Beach drives, the two entrances to the small community.

The combination of speedy motorists, the curve of the road and view-blocking landscaping make for nerve-racking, if not downright dangerous, intersections and many are nervous that it’s just a matter of time before a serious accident occurs.

Hansen said a resident recently timed how long it takes southbound cars ripping around the corner at 50 mph to reach the intersection at Mariner Beach Drive and the results make clear the danger.

“It takes less than four seconds,” said Hansen, adding that it takes about the same amount of time for northbound drivers to reach Fireweed Drive.

In order to change a speed limit, stringent engineering standards must be met, and if it’s a public request, a petition has to be drafted. Mariners Cove residents met the challenge, submitting a document with more than 100 signatures.

Public Works engineers reviewed the request and performed a study. Unfortunately, it didn’t meet the guideline, though signs that warn drivers of the upcoming intersections were posted.

Hansen said the signs were greatly appreciated but that it just isn’t enough. The group submitted yet another petition, this one with 112 signatures. They also alerted their district representative, Island County Commissioner Angie Homola.

“She came out here on a Sunday and spent over an hour with me,” Hansen said.

Homola, who helped address a speed limit issue near her home on West Beach Road several years ago, argued on behalf of the residents at a work session in Coupeville last week.

She said it can be challenging to weigh professional engineering requirements with a community need but that in this case she believes the public’s request needs additional deliberation and thought.

“We can’t only consider the engineering aspects of it,” Homola said. “I want to address the neighbor’s concerns and do something. It’s not working for them.”

Bill Oakes, director of Island County Public Works, said that simply lowering the speed limit won’t necessarily change driver’s behavior but that he agrees there is a problem with sight distance. Like Homola, he personally took the time to drive out there and look at the troublesome intersections.

“Lowering the speed limit won’t change people’s behavior,” he said. “They are going to drive the road how they feel is safe.”

One fix, he said, would be to cut back landscaping at the corners, but that’s on private property and out of the county’s jurisdiction.

Homola asked about speed limit signs with flashing lights, such as the one by her own house, saying they have been very effective. Oakes said that would add cost but that it could be considered.

His suggestion was to post yellow “advisory” signs that recommend a lower speed. The official limit would remain the same and drivers could not be posted for speeding, but they could be cited for going too fast for conditions, he said.

However, advisory signs also need to meet certain sight distance engineering guidelines in order to be justified. That testing began this week but the results have not yet been released.

The board agreed to wait to see the results before taking additional action.

Hansen said the process to fix the dangerous situation has been long but that overall he’s been pleased with the county’s effort to work with the community and solve the issue.

“Everybody so far has been pretty positive,” he said.