Drivers are doing dangerous and illegal stunts in Hill District, and residents are fed up
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — People in the Hill District are appealing to the city to do more to stop drivers from doing dangerous and illegal stunts.
The intersection of Wiley Avenue and Fullerton Street has become the place where drivers have been putting on car stunt shows. People who live in the area say enough is enough.
"Al I hear are tires screeching, running," Hill District resident Leroy said Monday. "Then you hear a car go up and down the street."
"Sounds like a race track," he added.
A video shows one of the many instances where drivers fill the air with smoke and noise.
"It really is all night long," Leroy said. "That's all I hear."
This kind of thing is not just happening in the Hill District. Other places around town and the country have had to deal with the same issue.
"They bring their own audience. If that car gets loose, it could kill several people there," Hill District resident Brenda Tate said.
Tate is a community leader and retired Pittsburgh police officer. She said people like Leroy who live at the K. Leroy Irvis Towers get the worse of the noise and smoke.
"The balconies face Fullerton and Wiley," Tate said.
For Tate, it's not about what the drivers are doing. She said the intersection of Wiley and Fullerton is the last place they should be doing it.
"That is Fullerton and Wiley, where every musician has passed through this city. It's a very sacred spot for the people in the city of Pittsburgh and the Hill District," Tate said.
Tate said the city needs to do something.
"They have to have a plan," she said. "Even if there is somewhere they can go that the city can create."
On Thursday, Hill District residents made their voices heard, asking drivers to find somewhere else and for law enforcement to catch them.
"I've called the police several times," Reggie House said. "They seem to come, they leave and the racing still continues."
Police told KDKA-TV: "Officers respond to disrupt the behavior and issue citations where they can. It's important to note that officers will not pursue vehicles that flee from the area.
"Because this is not a well-traveled spot, police don't often know about it until someone calls when the noise becomes disruptive. Still, police encourage anyone who witnesses this behavior to call them immediately."
