Neighbors say Highway 34 is too dangerous after multiple crashes
Neighbors are calling for change after a recent fatal car crash on Highway 34 near the Peniel Church.
"And you just immediately knew what it was, my heart sank." April Takewell says she heard the fatal crash. "I heard the breaks right here, and the crash was right at Wendy's sign." One driver fell asleep at the wheel, crashing into another driver head-on.
Takewell’s driveway is right off of Highway 34, and she says the sound of screeching brakes is a familiar one. "That's usually where it happens coming out of the merge right there or coming from this direction they'll cross in the middle,” says Takewell.
She lives right where four lanes merge into two at the curve and says people go too fast through that curve. "That's why I have to turn my blinkers on super early to make sure that people see us turning into our driveway,” says Takewell.
The Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) looked into the crash history for a half mile stretch in front of Takewell’s house, from Sandal Street and Bawcum Street.
They say there have been eight crashes in that stretch this year, two of them had injuries. "This road is where the four-lane highway turns into two, there are some commercial drives so when people are turning, and others aren't paying attention,” says Natalie Sistrunk, DOTD District Traffic Operations Engineer. “And so we've had one injury crash along with the recent fatal crash that happened.”
The last fatality in that stretch of road was in 2012, but DOTD doesn’t record fatalities unless the person dies on the scene. That’s why Takewell says there have been more fatalities since she’s lived in the area. "I know of one that was transferred to the hospital, she was alive, but she didn't wind up making it."
Takewell says the issue is people speeding, especially in such a busy area. "They're not doing fifty they hit that merge trying to be the first person in line, not being behind anyone and doing sixty or sixty-five easy,” says Takewell.
DOTD says they determine speed limits by conducting a speed study. "We set the speed based on what drivers are most comfortable driving, and so that's how they're set,” says Sistrunk.
Sistrunk says anyone can email her at (Natalie.Sistrunk@LA.GOV) and they’ll do a speed study on the road. Takewell plans to do just that.
Louisiana State Police worked the fatal crash Monday, and they say making the roads safer starts with drivers. "People slow down when they see us they don't want to get a ticket or something's going to happen, but if we're not there they're going to continue to drive how they drive,” says Michael Reichardt, LA State Police Public Affairs Section.
