Oak Cliff neighborhood's temporary solution after two separate car crashes
Oak Cliff neighborhood solution after two car crashes
A roundabout in a North Oak Cliff neighborhood has been making headlines recently as cars crashed into nearby townhomes on two separate occasions.
OAK CLIFF, Texas - Safety changes have been made in a Dallas neighborhood where cars crashed into townhomes on two separate occasions recently.
Dallas councilman Chad West led the push to get barriers installed but says that's only a temporary solution.
A roadway stretch located in the North Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas has been making headlines recently. The roadway is where North Tyler Street intersects with a roundabout near the Bishop Arts Entertainment District.
Residents living in the damaged townhomes nearby haven't been able to return due to structural concerns.
Two units remain boarded up as councilman West says the water barriers are a short-term solution until the city comes up with a long-term fix.
Crash video
There’s surveillance video from one of two incidents, where a speeding car failed to maneuver the roundabout and crashed into nearby townhomes.
This most recently happened in February.
Footage of February crash
There's also surveillance video of the other crash that happened just last week.
The car flips and catches fire before crashing into Christian Mayer’s home. The crash happened on her birthday and, thankfully, Mayer was out for dinner with friends.
Footage of May crash
Mayer was worried about her cat.
"I got here, and I remember walking and seeing the fire department, the police, someone was lying on the floor and just seeing my house up in smoke," said Mayer. "Sitting there crying because there was nothing I could do, just wait until I could go in."
Oak Cliff car crash press conference
On Thursday, Mayer and other residents of the complex joined councilman Chad West for a news conference. There he announced that the city was installing water barriers around parts of the roundabout as a temporary fix.
Like this driver, believed to be intoxicated, who nearly drove over two pedestrians the same night as the crash in May. West says there were seventeen accidents in the three years before the roundabout was built at this intersection.
In the same amount of time, three years after it was installed, there have been only eight accidents. But he is working with the city transportation and public works departments to come up with a long-term solution to these more recent cases of reckless driving.
What they're saying:
Mayer, who has been staying with friends, is optimistic.
"I just hope that this is the end of the situation, and it just stays as a warning that no further damage has to be done," said Mayer.
Homeowners Association President Taylor Smith spoke at the presser, pleading for long-term solutions.
"The problem is bad driving and irresponsible drivers."
What's next:
No word on when the city could come up with a permanent fix.
West says he was able to get the water barriers moved from White Rock Lake, where they are no longer needed, to here with the support of private partners and neighbors.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the Oak Cliff car crash presser on May 15.