Motorists who use two popular streets for cut-through traffic near Lakeview Academy in Gainesville might soon be forced to slow their roll in the school's nearby residential area.

Gainesville traffic engineers recently completed a study that calls for speed tables on both Nottingham and Fairview drives.

Residents on each street affected have circulated a petition signing off on the addition of the speed tables in the area.

Councilman Bob Hamrick, who has served on the Gainesville City Council, said residents have been asking for the city's help with school traffic for a long time.

"I think it's needed," said Mayor Pro Tem Danny Dunagan. "Because I mean, I've been through there, too, and it's pretty heavily trafficked."

The project will cost about $22,000, according to Gainesville City Manager Kip Padgett.

If the City Council approves use of the funds in its meeting Tuesday, the project will be paid for from a fund for traffic calming measures left over from last fiscal year, which ended in June.

Currently, that fund has about $40,000 left in it, Padgett told the council this week.

Council members at Thursday's work session seemed amenable to the measure.

But even if they approve the use of the funds next week, getting the speed tables installed may take a few more months, according to the city's Public Works Director David Dockery.

Currently, the department is busy with leaf pick-up in the city as well as a few sidewalk and repaving projects, he said.

"It would be probably realistically after Christmas before it would be easy to work this into our schedule," Dockery said. "...If we get behind on leaves, it tends to be a pretty big deal with residents, also."