A Dallas City Councilman and Oak Cliff residents are taking action to prevent another terrifying crash near a busy roundabout.
It comes just one week after a speeding vehicle went airborne and slammed into a townhome — the second such incident since February.
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WATCH HEREOn Thursday morning, Dallas City Council Member Chad West hosted a press conference at the site of the crashes to announce that water barriers have now been installed on a grassy patch in front of the Typo Towns townhomes.
The barriers were added as an immediate safety measure to stop vehicles from veering off the road and into residential buildings.
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SIGN UP “This isn’t rocket science,” West said. “There are roundabouts all over the world and there are not cars at all these roundabouts running into buildings. So there is a solution here that the city needs to figure out. And in the meantime, since we had to take matters into our own hands, this is what we’ve got.”
The barriers were installed by a private partner at West’s request, after months of stalled conversations with the city’s Transportation and Public Works Department. West confirmed that studies were launched after concerns were raised with the city departments, but those studies are still ongoing as of this writing.
“Despite my best efforts to get the Department of Transportation and Public Works to act through official channels, they have done nothing in the past three months to make this street safer since I first brought the matter to their attention,” West said. “If our Transportation and Public Works Department is unwilling to put street safety first and act when there is a crisis, I will take action into my own hands.”
The city already owned the barriers, which had been sitting unused at White Rock Lake since cement barricades were installed there. They are now in place along the city right-of-way where the latest crash occurred.
The most recent crash took place last week on May 8 and was captured on surveillance video from home surveillance video. The footage shows a car flying over the roundabout on Tyler Street and crashing into the first floor of a townhome before bursting into flames. A bystander rushed to help and pulled three people from the burning vehicle. No injuries were reported.
In February, a similar crash occurred involving another speeding SUV that also went airborne and struck a different townhome in the same development. Home surveillance video obtained by 온라인카지노사이트 5 shows the SUV sailing over the roundabout. No one was seriously hurt in the crash, despite the immense damage to the home.
Christian Mayer, the woman whose home was heavily destroyed in the May 8 crash, spoke at Thursday's press conference, sharing her difficult experience since that day.
"I'm thankful for the community that showed up the night of the incident and helped me out when I was incapable of making decisions," said Mayer, whose birthday was on the day of the crash and currently cannot live in her home due to the damage. "There's only so much you can cry and it's not gonna fix my wall, right? So I just need to wake up another day, figure out what's next."
She said some vehicles are traveling at speeds of 60 mph or more through the residential stretch of Tyler Street, which leads into the busy pedestrian area of the Bishop Arts District.
“We are disappointed that it has come to this for action to be taken. We wanted a solution since the first incident," said Mayer. "I just hope that this is the end of the situation and it just is as a warning that no further damage has to be done. At the end of the day, the important thing is that we're all working towards the same goal, which is well-being, living in a safe community, and having a good life."
West said the barriers are just a first step. Residents are also calling for more aggressive police measures to stop reckless driving in this fast-growing part of Oak Cliff.
“Most did not have insurance. One didn’t have a license — what other enforcement can we see in this area?” said Taylor Smith, a resident and the president of the HOA for the townhomes.
Dallas installed the Oak Cliff roundabout in 2022 as part of a broader effort to improve traffic flow and safety.
Between 2019 and 2021 — the three years prior to the roundabout — city data shows there were 17 crashes at the intersection, including one involving serious injuries. Since the roundabout was added, there have been eight crashes — none involving injuries, according to Council Member West.
Still, the latest incidents have residents alarmed, and many believe more needs to be done to slow drivers down before tragedy strikes.
West said the city is working on several proposed long-term enhancements with input from the community. These may include reflective signage, painting, and raising crosswalks to create speed humps.
"We want to see long-term permanent solutions that help deter speed and increase the safety in this area," said Smith. "We can't do this alone, so we're begging that these permanent solutions actually continue with the speed we have seen here with these water barriers."
