Stop a speeding danger

The fatal traffic collision that killed 14-year-old Danny Oates as he biked toward Sowers Middle School has spurred residents to call for traffic safety improvements to prevent another tragedy. Streets like Indianapolis Avenue, which cut across the city with few traffic lights but pass many schools and parks along the way, are an accident waiting to happen, they say.

Several residents and real estate agents called for action at Monday’s City Council meeting. Driving home their point was the fact that a second accident took place that day at Indianapolis Avenue and Everglades Lane where Oates died — a vehicle smashed into a light pole at 3:09 p.m. Monday, according to police records.

High traffic has turned crosstown streets like Indianapolis, Atlanta and Hamilton avenues into “little cross-freeways,” local Realtor Ann Baker said.

“I have bragged to my clients, ‘Oh, what a wonderful safe place to live,’” she said. “I can’t say that anymore.”

Resident Chris Wakefield called it a major danger.

“This could have been prevented many ways if we had better control of speed in our community,” he said. “I live about 100 yards from where this happened. We need lit crosswalks, radar trailers, more stop signs, even police out there.”

Many of those present had gone to a quickly arranged Friday public hearing called by Councilman Don Hansen to discuss the issues, but they said they needed assurance something would be done to make the major school route safer.

Asked by council members whether they would serve on a task force to address the problem, several at Monday’s meeting said they would. Mayor Gil Coerper told city staff at the end of the meeting to look for solutions to the problem. City records show that prior to Oates’ death, there hadn’t been a reported accident at that intersection in more than five years; and adjacent intersections show two or three accidents each in that time.

Those numbers, however, don’t tell the whole story, and the city keeps an especially close eye on streets like Indianapolis that pass by several schools, city traffic engineer Bob Stachelski said. And there are already a couple of projects in the works to improve traffic in the area: a traffic signal will be built at Indianapolis Avenue and Titan Lane, two large blocks from the accident at Everglades Lane; better signs will be put up using “Safe Routes to School” grant money. Police also are planning to place “radar feedback trailers” on the street in the future, which show drivers how fast they’re going.

But residents know best what’s happening in their neighborhoods, and their calls, along with tips from police, are a crucial source of information on what needs fixing, Stachelski said.

“The residents drive it every day,” Stachelski said. “They live it, they know it.”