Traffic Travis | North Charlotte Neighbors To Commuters: 'Put On The Brakes'

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Concerned neighbors in north Charlotte say they're fed up with careless drivers. They reached out to NewsChannel 36 asking for help in slowing down commuters in the Hunter Acres neighborhood.

Drivers often use Christenbury Road as a shortcut between Harris Blvd. and Interstate 77. The road is less than a mile long. Residents say drivers plow through its three stop signs.

"It’s changed the quality of life," said Calvin McGuirt, who has lived in the same house on Christenbury Road. "When I say people run these stop signs, it's not a roll-through."

As part of a continuing series entitled "Streets of Speed," NewsChannel 36 caught cars driving straight through three-way stops without hesitation.

"I'd get on my knees and beg them if they'd just stop," said neighbor Florence Pettus, who has lived in Hunter Acres since 1968.

Neighbors say the road used to be in the middle of quiet farmland, but as Charlotte grew, so did traffic.

"Our neighborhood has become a major cut-through due to all the new neighborhoods being built," said McGuirt.

Trying to keep up with changing traffic patterns, neighbors have been able to get the speed limit reduced to 25 miles per hour, speed bumps installed and three stop signs posted. Still, they say the traffic troubles continue.

Neighbors say increased police patrols would help. But NewsChannel 36 checked with officers who say they patrol Hunter Acres on a regular basis. Police say they wrote 75 tickets along Christenbury Road in the last year, mostly for failure to stop at a stop sign.

"A lot of the tickets we wrote were for people who live in this neighborhood and the people in the neighborhood down the street," said Officer Mike Travis.

Neighbors McGuirt and Pettus hope that the attention from NewsChannel 36 and police will help encourage those neighbors to slow down and set the example for commuters.

"The main thing neighbors can do is set the example themselves," said Officer Travis.

If you have a street that you'd like NewsChannel 36 to investigate with a radar gun, e-mail us at streetsofspeed@wcnc.com.