Residents in East Dallas are worried about drivers speeding on their roads, causing crashes and deaths. Efforts to slow down traffic on East Mockingbird Lane are underway, but a quick solution is unlikely. NBC 5’s Maria Guerroro has more.
Residents in East Dallas say far too many drivers treat their residential neighborhood road like it's a highway.
It's led to several crashes in recent years and even claimed lives.
Despite signs pleading for drivers to slow down and 'DRIVE LIKE YOUR KID LIVES HERE' lining East Mockingbird Lane near Dalewood Lane, drivers don't seem to let off the gas.
"It's not uncommon to see drivers speeding down the road in excess of 60 miles an hour," said resident Enjonli Hutchison. "This is a 40-mile-an-hour area and it's a residential area and I think people tend to forget that."
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Neighbors rallied after the latest tragedy along the thoroughfare seeking a permanent solution to reduce speeding and wrecks.
Neighbors filed a service request through 311 and created an online petition for the city to 'install a traffic light on Mockingbird Lane at Dalewood Lane to prevent speeding.'
As of 5:45, the petition has accumulated more than 480 signatures; with a goal of 500 signatures.
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Resident Yuri Strain is spearheading the effort with the help of Hutchison and other neighbors.
The neighborhood is close-knit, says Hutchison. They often check in with each other after hearing cars colliding or crashing into walls and backyards.
Hutchison recalls three major incidents in the month of January including a truck that lost control and crashed into a brick wall, a 9-car pileup with unknown injuries last week and a triple fatality on January 9.
Dallas police said a vehicle crashed into a tree, two adults died on the scene, and a third died at the hospital.
The gruesome aftermath led neighbors to believe speed was a major factor in the early morning crash between Rockview and Greentree Lanes.
"Those poor folks, there were bodies ejected from the vehicle," said Hutchison. "Some of the neighbors on Mockingbird had to come out with fire extinguishers."
Following the deadly crash, residents urged their city council representative Paula Blackmon to take action.
Hutchison says the council member has been very receptive and has taken steps to ensure changes are considered.
DPD's traffic unit set up increased enforcement in the area for two days and issued 28 citations, according to the department.
The city installed a traffic light at Greentree and Mockingbird several months after an off-duty police officer died in a crash allegedly involving racing in 2019. However, neighbors say the light had been approved before that fatal crash.
The neighborhood's new push appears to be paying off.
Dalewood Lane is now in line to undergo a traffic study to determine if a traffic light should be installed, but it is a process that is not quick.
According to the city's transportation department:
"After a service request is filed, the process to determine whether a traffic signal is warranted begins with a signal warrant analysis for a specific location. This analysis is based on a set of federal criteria and examines safety and operations at the intersection and its approaches. The criteria include several factors such as vehicle and pedestrian volumes, the severity and frequency of crashes, school crossings, and the area road network. A location must meet at least one of the criteria to become eligible for a traffic signal, however, this analysis alone does not determine whether a traffic signal will be installed. Engineers discuss the feasibility of a signal or other traffic control measures. If the final analysis warrants a traffic signal, funds must be identified in advance of construction."
"While I respect the process, in the meantime we're kinda left thinking what's going to happen next," said Hutchison. "It's a matter of not if but when. When something's going to happen."
