CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — People who live in a Cleveland Heights’ neighborhood are fed up with reckless driving they’ve witnessed time and time again.
Imagine buying your dream home in your dream neighborhood, only to learn it is in a vulnerable location.
Jeremy Swartz’s family has lived on Washington Boulevard in Cleveland Heights for a year and a half, but he quickly learned that people take the bend on his street, right in front of his house, far too fast.
“Every time I see somebody walk by, walking their dogs, kids going up and down the road, it makes me scared for them,” said Swartz. “People come up around the hill and the curve and forget to curve.”
He said despite the speed limit being 25 mph, people go 40-50 mph consistently.
In the past nine months, he’s seen two bad accidents and many more near-misses.
On Sunday, a car crashed right outside his house and hit a tree.
“He jumped the curb down by the tree lawn, went through about five yards and bounced right here [pointing to the tree] if that tree wouldn’t have been there, he would’ve been in my neighbor’s house,” said Swartz.
His 13-year old daughter was the one to call 911.
“I was like ‘Hi, I think someone crashed into our front yard,’” said Maya Stanton. “It sounded like four cars crashed. I thought it was a huge crash.”
She said since the crashes, she’s been scared to play with her little sister outside or go on walks.
Other residents told News 5 that the speeding starts in University Heights and then as they drive west on Washington Boulevard they don’t see the curve of the hill that seems to sneak up on them.
“It can kind of jump up on you and you don’t even know it’s there,” said Swartz.
News 5 reached out to both University Heights and Cleveland Heights’ city officials.
University Heights did not get back to us, but Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren pulled up to see the issue firsthand while we were there. He did not want to do an on-camera interview but assured us that he would be reaching out to University Heights’ mayor to collaborate on a solution.
In addition, Mike Thomas, the Director of Communications and Public Engagement for the city of Cleveland Heights said in a statement:
“Cleveland Heights is a strong proponent of Vision Zero as a strategy for eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries while providing safer, healthier, and more equitable mobility options.
Because a portion of the street is in University Heights, the two cities will have to work together to solve traffic issues along Washington Boulevard and have been taking steps in that direction. We have applied for a joint grant through the NOACA’s Transportation for Livable Communities to implement the Eastside Greenway Project and improve mobility options along specified streets, including Washington.”
Swartz doesn’t know what exactly needs to be done, whether it’s guard rails, signage or speed tables. But said he knows more accidents will happen if change isn’t made.
“Take it easy on the streets out here. Kids live here, pets live here, people live here,” he said.
