SPRING VALLEY, Calif. — Neighbors in one Spring Valley neighborhood feel unsafe with an excessive number of speeding cars on a stretch of Elkelton Boulevard from Noeline Avenue to Delrose Avenue. It’s a quarter-mile straightaway with no stop signs in a residential area that has become a prime choice for street racers late at night.
“It’s at least two or three times a night,” said one neighbor who lives on Elkelton. “People flying down this street.”
Speeding cars during the day and dangerous racing at night often provide a recipe for disaster.
“People were drag-racing through here, going way too fast, and ended up between the tree and the house, said one neighbor while pointing at a house down the street.”
A CBS 8 viewer sent us a video clip captured on a home surveillance camera showing two cars racing at high speeds on Elkelton Boulevard on January 17 at 10:00 p.m.
“I’ve seen fences get knocked down,” said another neighbor, who wanted to remain anonymous. “The fence on our house was knocked down years ago, and the whole wall was destroyed.”
Joe Williams, who lives in the area, told CBS 8 that the stop sign at Elkelton Boulevard and Noeline Avenue had been knocked over by speeding drivers too many times to count.
“That stop sign right there, that’s a new stop sign,” said Williams. “It’s been there about two or three weeks. It won’t last.”
The speed limit on Elkelton is 40 miles per hour, though signage indicating such is scarce.
“Do you think that’s too fast for a residential neighborhood?” asked CBS 8’s, Brian White. “Yeah, they should knock it down to 35,” said Williams.
Spring Valley is an unincorporated area of the county, so CBS 8 contacted the county’s Traffic Advisory Committee (TAC) about the issues on Elkelton Boulevard and potential solutions. But as far as street racing, neighbors expressed the need for more law enforcement presence at night to deter street racing.
“I think if there was more patrolling, I think that would make many of us feel safer,” said an anonymous neighbor.”
Officer Jared Grieshaber with California Highway Patrol (CHP), the agency responsible for enforcing traffic laws in the area, told CBS 8 that street racing could have serious consequences.
“We will come to your residence and seize your vehicle for up to thirty days,” said Grieshaber. “You can be in prison up to ninety days, and there are fines up to $1,000.” Neighbors can file traffic complaints with CHP about racing issues or any other traffic-related matters, so they can increase patrols in the reported areas during times when the infractions are likely to happen.
CBS 8 will be following this story for possible solutions on Elkelton Boulevard.
If you have a story you’d like us to look into, email us at: workingforyou@cbs8.com.
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