CHARLOTTE, N.C. — People who live in the Eastbrook Woods community say they are fed up with people not following the rules of the road, zipping through the area and putting their lives at risk.
They say accidents happen there too often and they are worried about their safety.
Thomas Wyatt is one of those residents.
“When I moved into this area it was an area where people walked the sidewalks, bicycles and very few cars,” Wyatt said.
A lot has changed in the east Charlotte neighborhood since Wyatt moved in back in the 1970s. The biggest change is the increase in traffic on Cove Creek and Barrington drives.
“I can’t say how fast they are doing but they are going faster than 25 mph,” he said.
Wyatt said cars flying through the area is not the only problem.
“I see them not stopping for stop signs … running stop signs and you can see from right there what they are doing, knocking down trees and poles, you name it,” Wyatt said.
Last week he was woken up by a large crashing sound.
“I came out here and saw a car that was blocking my driveway and I look over and the pole was broken up and scattered all over the street,” Wyatt said.
“I’ve noticed so many speeding accidents even hit and runs and where I come out my door they are already gone,” Charlene Lynch, who has lived in Eastbrook Woods for 20 years, said.
She is worried someone is going to get hurt if nothing is done to slow drivers down.
“It’s scary for me because there are children in this neighborhood,” Lynch said. “I also have a small dog that I walk every day, twice a day. We have to be very careful when we cross that street at Barrington and Covecreek drives."
Lynch is a member of the Eastbrook Woods Neighborhood Association.
“Our brick sign for Eastbrook Woods neighborhood had been run into a few years ago and completely demolished,” she said.
The association is pushing to get a speed bump added to the busy street.
“We have petitioned already," Lynch said. "It’s just a backlog and it’s taking so long."
The neighbors said they also reached out to the sheriff’s department and have seen a patrol car posted on the corner here and there which has helped. However, they feel a speed bump would make a bigger difference.
A road must meet certain criteria for a traffic measure to be added.
CDOT said it has received a petition for Covecreek Drive, but it did not successfully complete the petition process. The agency no longer requires a petition, so the new request will be addressed by their team.
A spokesperson added there is already a four-way stop at the intersection of Barrington and Covecreek drives. Therefore, staff would need to consult with the fire department to make sure adding a speed bump would not impact response time.
People concerned about traffic safety can call 311 or fill out a request form online for a traffic study to be done in their neighborhood. The Charlotte Department of Transportation looks at several factors including the volume of traffic on the street, the speed levels on the road, and if adding a traffic calming device would impact emergency vehicles.
However, because of funding, requests are prioritized based on the speed levels and the number of people and car traffic activity in the area studied.
CDOT said it is working on two new contracts for infrastructure to support its Neighborhood Traffic Calming efforts.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.