ST. LOUIS — During a special Traffic Calming Meeting on Monday near North Grand, St. Louis City officials explained some of the measures they’re looking at to fix traffic concerns in problem areas like Grand Boulevard.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said there have been approximately 14 fatal crashes involving pedestrians and two involving cyclists in the City Of St. Louis this year, several of those happened on Grand Boulevard.
Neighbors of the North Grand corridor brought concerns to the Monday meeting, including speeding and traffic lights they said nobody stops for.
“You'll be stopped at the red light. They go around you," resident Helen Gill said. "They pass you going 100 mph up Grand. That's not safe for anybody."
Gill said she doesn't drive on Grand at night anymore because its too dangerous.
That’s something Mayor Tishaura Jones said she wants to fix by putting $40 million from American Rescue Plan Act funds toward traffic calming measures and a comprehensive citywide transportation plan.
“Research from the federal government has shown that traffic calming measures discourage bad behavior and keep people safer," Jones said. "The Institute of Traffic Engineers found proven safety countermeasures like raised intersections, medians and traffic circles reduced speed while discouraging dangerous behavior."
Jen Wade with the Missouri Department of Transportation said that's something they were able to do on Natural Bridge with three roundabouts and several other safety improvements, such as better crosswalks.
“That's a feature put in place to move a lot of traffic," Wade said. "It seems like it might be annoying to go slow, but it actually reduces delays by letting people continue moving as they're making their turns."
MODOT data shows, following improvements, there have been fewer crashes and the average speed has slowed down a lot closer to the speed limit on Natural Bridge.
Gill said these measures should be implemented at Grand Boulevard.
“When they did Natural Bridge the way they did, that was the best thing for me," she said. "Because they were going up Natural Bridge 100 mph, they killed two women in one week … The roundabouts are good for me."
St. Louis police said, in about a four-month period, 69 crashes have been reported on North Grand alone, and almost half of those crashes resulted in someone getting hurt or killed.
The city did not give an exact timeline on when it move forward with changes on Grand Boulevard.
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.