Concerned Colorado residents in one Aurora neighborhood wait for change, expect tragedy caused by out-of-control drivers
Neighbors who live along East 13th Avenue in Aurora say drivers are out of control. Numerous wrecks and countless speeders have them pleading to the Colorado city's leaders for help. They say their safety is in jeopardy.
Steven McDaniel has lived on the busy street for nearly three decades. In recent years, he says drivers have become more reckless, especially near 13th Avenue and Xanadu.
"We've had a lot of car accidents on this block. The damage to parked vehicles is constant, especially on weekends, with drunk or careless drivers," he said. "We saw a truck hit a utility pole outside and it caught on fire. It's not good. Somebody's going to get hurt."
Despite the 25 mph speed limit, McDaniel says many drivers treat it as a suggestion.
At night, the road's more like a lawless freeway.
"We have off-road vehicles racing up and down the street. We had someone drive through our fence here straight across," he said. "Just this past weekend, we had a three or four-car accident right down the street."
His neighbor, Sarah Walling, says many drivers take their street to escape the stop-and-go traffic of Colfax Avenue.
"Because of where this is at in relation to Colfax, it is a major shortcut for delivery and Uber drivers to get their food and skip the lights on Colfax, and they come flying through here. They don't live here," said Walling. "This is a main thoroughfare for kids walking to school. It's terrifying."
Neighbors say they've been trying to get the city's attention.
"We've reached out to the traffic division, but we aren't getting any responses," McDaniel said, frustrated with the lack of action.
In a statement to CBS Colorado, Michael Brannen, Aurora Senior Media Relations Strategist writes:
"The city is aware of the desire to make improvements to this portion of 13th Avenue. A corridor study was recently conducted, and a plan that includes safety improvements and traffic calming measures was selected. The city is currently seeking funding to cover the costs of construction."
Improvements have been made to this stretch of 13th in recent years. The city has added traffic lights and speed cushions. Neighbors emphasized the need for preventative measures, suggesting more speed bumps, stop signs and increased police presence.
They joked that the CBS Colorado news vehicle should stop by their street more often.
"Your car has a big light bar; people are thinking that looks like a cop and they're slowing down," Walling said.
She'd much rather have real police.
"It seems like a lot of times they're here for the investigation, they're not here when it happens," she said. "We need someone to monitor this and really pay attention to what's happening here."
Neighbors know the police are busy, but they've seen too many paramedics. They're waiting for change and expecting tragedy.
"We're just waiting for someone to veer off the street into one of our homes and kill us," said McDaniel.
The city says residents are encouraged to submit complaints to AuroraGov.org/AccessAurora, so the city is aware of concerns in their neighborhood and can address them.
