Growing pains in Madison lead to some safety concerns for parents.
Work on a new roundabout at the intersection of Balch and Gillespie roads lead to a detour that is sending more traffic to neighborhoods that are normally quiet.Â
There was a steady flow of traffic coming down the streets all of Wednesday. Residents told Â鶹Çø it's concerning having all the traffic coming through.
“Cars kind of whip into Pennsylvania Avenue which is another concern," said Joshua McMillion. "We don’t even let our kids play in the front yard now.â€
McMillion has two young children. His family goes on nightly bike rides through their neighborhood, but he said the traffic from the detour gets dangerous.
“When we’re crossing the streets, people really don’t, they use this as if it’s an actual two-lane highway, not a community road," he said. "So that’s one of the biggest issues we see.â€
Some people living along Woodley Road created signs telling people to slow down.Â
Erica Colo said people weren't too considerate.
“You would be surprised. People were like, flicking them off and cussing at them and speeding up intentionally because of their signs," she said.
A radar speed sign was added to her street. People for the most part seem to slow down when they see it.
However, there are no preventative measures in the other neighborhoods impacted by the detour.
“Cars will just whip right in," said McMillion. "They’ll be coming in at about 40 mph while that mail post office, mail clerk is there, and that’s one of the concerns."
“I just wish people would be polite and respectful when they’re driving through our residential street," said Colo. "There are kids playing and trying to get to and from activities and school, and just go slow and be mindful that people live here.â€
People like Colo and McMillion would like to see more police patrols or temporary speed bumps to stop people from speeding.
Â鶹Çø reached out to both the city of Madison and the police department to see if there are any plans to improve safety, but we haven't heard back as of Wednesday evening.
