Dallas council members talk street design, enforcement as racing plagues neighborhoods
DALLAS - Two Dallas city council members are discussing additional ways to fix the city’s street racing problem by looking at street design in addition to police enforcement.
Northeast Dallas council members Paula Blackmon and Adam McGough discussed the problem and potential fixes with their constituents in a virtual town hall Tuesday afternoon.
Street racers are a recurring nightmare for people who live near Skillman and Abrams.
Dallas police already have the authority to arrest racers, ticket spectators and temporarily impound vehicles. But with the police department stretched thin, Blackmon says other ideas should be considered.
"When I hear of speeding, I want to look at what is really going on. Is it just an enforcement issue or is it how we built the road? I'm from Lubbock, there are six lanes, you could land DC-10 on some of those streets and what happens is people fly down it," Blackmon said.
McGough made it clear more should be done to solve the problem.
"I’ve been supportive of an option to identify these cars that are used as instruments of criminal activity and to file an action against them specifically. If you are going to use these vehicles in this manor in the city of Dallas they should be seized and taken away from your possession," McGough said.
Blackmon believes adjustments to Skillman, which runs three lanes each direction, could take the fun out of the street for racers.
"Sometimes it is looking at bike lanes or making sidewalks wider and moving things just a little closer together," Blackmon said.
More street lights and another stop light are also options city traffic staff is looking into.
"I think that is a better approach than to just put more police officers down and give tickets. You basically have just fixed a symptom of a problem, is the road a problem?" she said.
Blackmon says it may turn out that ultimately the solution may remain better enforcement. But the point of the meeting was to get the conversation about a road diet started and see what residents think.
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