WCPO 9's Sam Harasimowicz covers Clermont County. If you have a story that you'd like Sam to look into or a news tip, email him at [email protected] TOWNSHIP, Ohio Out in Tate Township, you'll find Steve Reeves mowing the lawn every week. While the house on Crane Schoolhouse Road isn't Reeves' permanent residence, he cares for his late father's home."I lived here for a year with my dad, and I took care of him, and thats the reason why I knew the condition of the roads," Reeves said.Reeves said he and the other neighbors feared the traffic that would come through the area."You get scared every time a car comes, and you literally want to wait till the car passes to get into your mailbox," Reeves said.That's why Reeves said he took action, first reaching out to township officials, then to the Clermont County Engineer's Office. That's where he was instructed to file a petition to the Clermont County Board of County Commissioners.Watch to see how homeowners made their voices heard to improve safety: After neighbors petitioned, 2 Clermont County roads have new, slower speed limitsReeves obtained signatures from neighbors, and the petition was sent to the commissioners. Documents from the county engineer's office show that the commissioners unanimously voted to send a resolution to the Ohio Department of Transportation, requesting that a 3.31-mile section of Crane Schoolhouse Road, from SR 222 to SR 125, have its speed limit reduced."I guess it took a year," Reeves said.The road was previously unposted, meaning the speed limit was 55 miles per hour. It has since been lowered to 45.Reeves said he didn't find out that the speed had been officially changed until we told him while working on the story. The Clermont County Engineer's Office announced the official change on Facebook earlier in May. That change on Crane Schoolhouse Road is one of two recent changes announced by the county engineer. The other slowdown is along Gleneste-Withamsville Road, between State Route 125 and Clough Pike, which has been lowered from 45 to 40 miles per hour.ODOT has to approve any possible speed limit change, regardless of which municipality has jurisdiction."If anyone, a local jurisdiction, wants to lower the speed limit on a route, they will complete the engineering or the speed zone study, they will submit to us, and then ODOT does do the approval," ODOT Public Information Officer Kathleen Fuller said.Fuller pointed the details and information ODOT has on speed limits and how they could be changed on the department's website.Different types of roads have specific designated speed limits, as written in the Ohio Revised Code, according to Fuller. The municipality that manages the road must also provide a speed zone study, whether that be ODOT itself, villages, cities, townships or counties.Clermont County Engineer Jeremy Evans described the types of data included in a speed zone study. "We'll do traffic counts, collect the speeds of the users on the roadways today, crash data we look at, general physical data of the road," Evans said.Evans told me that the process for any speed limit change is the same process across Ohio, whether it was initiated by residents or a municipality.Not all speed limit changes are initiated through resident feedback, nor are all proposed changes approved by ODOT. But after his efforts were successful, Reeves said that it's worth it to try."Dont be scared to go try to do it, if you think something is wrong, go to your city council and let them know whats going on," Reeves said.ODOT recommends reaching out to your local municipality if you have similar questions about speed limits in your area.Have a story idea or tip for WCPO 9 Clermont County reporter Sam Harasimowicz? Email him at [email protected] ...read more read less