By Mindy Ragan Wood
Staff Writer
Officers are stepping up patrol on Stout Drive after receiving complaints of speeders and cars passing without regard for pedestrian safety.
Karen Elliot said she has called city officials and police to complain about the issue but it keeps getting worse.
“The locations that I have experienced aggressive drivers and drivers who are unaware (distracted) and some who do not care is on Piedmont Road from 164th to 178th to Stout and Stout to Monroe,” Elliot warned. “The roads are posted with 25 to 35 mile per hour speed signs. These roads and streets are used for school walkathons, small community events, running events. There are homes, schools and businesses on these roads. I see locals, neighbors and kids walking, bicycling and jogging on these roads all the time.”
Piedmont Police Chief Scott Singer said the area remains under close watch.
“Stout has been a constant issue for us for a long time,” Singer said. “We have officers that frequently work Stout. I believe she (Elliot) does have a valid complaint. As much as our officers work Stout, and they work it quite a bit, day, evening and nights it’s fairly heavily patrolled in as much as we are able to. We watch it pretty close and when we have more time on scene, we’re trying to slow people down.”
The troublesome area seems to be heavy traffic between two busy schools.
“People use Stout to bypass Piedmont (Road) because it dumps out to 164th to the intermediate school to pick up their kids,” Singer said. “Then people leave the high school and are directed down Stout. Part of it is that when the primary school and high school are letting out, we end up with a real traffic congestion problem on Edmond (Road). With that, we’re forced to try and reroute the traffic as much as possible.”
A source of speeders in particular seems to come from parents who are late picking up children.
“For the life of me some people position themselves hours in advance, others are always behind 15-20 minutes,” he said. “The ones that are late are the ones that create the biggest problems for us as to speeding in regular traveling areas trying to get their kids to school or pick them up on time.”
Elliot hopes to see people think about the risk they take and the lives it could cost.
“It has gotten very bad. There are kid and parent crossings, bus stops, schools and entrances into home additions and neighborhoods with families and the elderly. These people driving without regard for safety, keep doing it every day. The community needs to try to be more aware of pedestrians and do the right thing and slow down and move over when they see a pedestrian on the road,” Elliot said.
