DAYTON — A deadly street where drivers often speed and cause crashes is getting some attention in the hopes of improving safety.
“Having to walk across the avenue seems like a death wish,” Willie Morris, president of Wayne Avenue Traffic Safety Coalition said.
Just over a year ago, a woman was killed on Wayne Avenue right across the street from where the coalition met Wednesday.
“We lost our neighbor from Twin Towers, Jennifer Johnson,” Morris said. “Out of control driver lost control of their vehicle and unfortunately ended Jennifer’s life.”
News Center 7 looked into crashes and safety violations on the two-mile stretch of Wayne Avenue.
There were nine crashes in December alone and in January 647 violations.
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“This is insane,” Morris said.
Morris has been working with the city to make improvements to the street.
“Currently we’re looking at six-foot-wide sidewalks. We’d love to improve that out to eight feet,” he said.
Along with putting in some additions to prevent crashes.
“Improving crosswalk infrastructure, painting new lines, getting new signs, possibly removing poles from the sides of the street,” Morris said.
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But those will all need money to become a reality.
“We will come up with a plan and then develop a grant application that we will submit to the State for some highway safety improvement plan funds,” David Escobar, city engineer of Dayton said.
Morris explained why this project is so important to him.
“I live in South Park, this neighborhood ... I’ve got a 3-year-old currently,” he said.
The city and colation are working together on safety research on one section of Wayne Avenue and those results will come in the springtime.
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