Columbia Street Waterfront community demands answers from DOT on dangerous corridor
At a packed meeting with DOT, they demanded safety improvements along the corridor they say is unpredictable and dangerous.
After years of crashes at a dangerous corridor, the Columbia Street Waterfront community says enough is enough.
At a packed meeting with DOT, they demanded safety improvements along the corridor they say is unpredictable and dangerous.
“There are cars speeding down,” said one resident. “Turning really quickly on that corner without stopping. I've had some close experiences with cars turning close to my kids.”
Residents say speeding cars and lack of traffic signals have turned parts of the corridor into a danger zone. The area is no stranger to car crashes and pedestrians being hit, and in some instances killed.
For the past 10 years, the community has called for traffic studies to be done. Until now, those studies were not approved.
In November, on President and Columbia streets, a 10-year-old girl was hit by a car while walking home with friends. It is something no parent wants to see happen again.
“Everything just stopped,” Lisette Rio said. “Time just stood still for a minute, where like, you know, Aurora was hit by a car and my daughter just left the house with her, and I wasn't sure what happened. To have to drive over and pull up and not know what I was going to find was terrifying.”
While grateful that her daughter’s best friend has since recovered, Rio says she questions what else it will take for change.
“Whatever it takes,” she said. “We have to keep pushing forward and hopefully we’ll get this prioritized."
The Department of Transportation says they’re finally getting to that traffic study. Still, it won’t be until next month when they can provide more answers on what traffic signs can actually be put in place.
