Neighbors teaming up to stop speeding cars in Pullman

Several residents in a Pullman neighborhood say speeding cars put their families in danger every day.

They are attempting to convince the city to try new methods to slow cars down.

Elizabeth O’Loughlin’s family moved to Harvest Drive this past summer knowing that the street had a high volume of traffic for a residential neighborhood. What they were not prepared for, O’Loughlin said, was the number of vehicles traveling at dangerous speeds on the 25 mph road.

It has gotten so bad, she said, that they fear for their children’s safety every time they go outside.

“It feels incredibly irresponsible for us as parents to even allow our kids on our front yard,” she said.

That is why O’Loughlin and several of her neighbors plan to bring their concerns to the Pullman City Council later this month with letters written by their children urging councilors to take action.

The family already has the support of Councilman Brandon Chapman, who is also concerned about the safety of three of his children who walk to school in that neighborhood. A trail leading from Harvest Drive goes directly to Franklin Elementary, making it a convenient walking route. Lincoln Middle School is also in walkable distance from that road.

But convenience is not always worth the risk. Chapman said there are several problems with Harvest Drive area that could lead to accidents. He said the wideness of the street is a contributing factor to speeding, because cars tend to drive faster on wide roads. The topography also presents a problem because drivers often go too fast down a nearby hill, and ascending drivers speed up when they reach the top. There is also a “blind curve” that blocks drivers from seeing pedestrians crossing the street.

While his children are taught to stop, look and listen when crossing the road, Chapman said he still fears accidents caused by inattentive and careless drivers.

Chapman wants to explore lowering speed limits because it could improve stopping distances and increase the survival rate of a collision.

“It’s really important we examine the speed at which we are driving our vehicles,” he said.

He said the residents are also interested in adding speed humps, which serve the same purpose as speed bumps but do not interfere with snow plows.

Chapman said he fought for school zone signs at Franklin Elementary for more than two years before he was elected to city council, but he is optimistic addressing this issue will not be as laborious. He called the residents’ concerns measured and realistic, and he is hopeful the city will act.

O’Loughlin’s neighbor, Jackie Eveland, said her family moved to Harvest Drive in 2016. She knows three families who walk their children to Franklin Elementary every day because they are apprehensive about letting them walk by themselves. Her family has placed signs in their yard telling drivers to slow down for children.

She said it seems like she and her neighbors experience close calls with cars every day, and she pointed to the blind curb as particularly troublesome.

“You think you look both ways and it’s clear and all of a sudden there’s a car,” she said.

The speeders also affect her business, Building Blocks Child Care Center, on nearby Klemgard Street, because she likes to take the children on walks to Klemgard Park or Lincoln Middle School.

She fears the problem will only get worse as businesses are added to Bishop Boulevard, which intersects with Harvest Drive. Cars often drive through her neighborhood coming from the 35 mph road where Pullman Regional Hospital, Walmart and many other businesses and restaurants are located. A Starbucks is slated to be completed on Bishop Boulevard this year.

The police have recently placed a radar trailer on the Harvest Drive. The department also plans to perform emphasis patrols in that neighborhood this summer, Pullman Police Cmndr. Chris Tennant said. However, he said these actions will not stop every offending driver, and they can only serve as a “band-aid” for the problem.

O’Loughlin said several recycling bins have been the victims of hit-and-runs. She just hopes those will be the only victims.

“If anyone had to yank their child’s arm away from a speeding car, they would understand where this neighborhood is coming from,” O’Loughlin said.

Anthony Kuipers can be reached at (208) 883-4640, or by email to akuipers@dnews.com.