To Whom It May Concern:
I am a resident of Arcadia and reside along 56th Street at the SW corner of Exeter Blvd and 56th Street. My husband and I, along with our three children, have lived in this residence for almost 4 years. When we first moved in, the traffic along 56th Street was for the most part, fairly calm. Within the last two years, there has been a significant increase in the amount of traffic that uses 56th Street as well as the amount of reckless drivers using 56th Street as their raceway mostly due to the development around the area.
On Thanksgiving day of last year, my husband was driving home using the roundabout, and a vehicle headed south bound from Camelback by way of 56th Street, was going so fast he did not have time to yield to my husband in the roundabout, and he t-boned my husband’s vehicle. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
There has been numerous near misses we have witnessed since then with vehicles nearly hitting bicyclists or pedestrians who are using that intersection to go west or east bound by the cars headed south bound from Camelback. Almost every single one of our neighbors has a story to tell about a near miss or an actual collision.
In the last 6 weeks, we have had two separate single vehicle car accidents that have occurred due to reckless and careless driving. The first accident happened on February 10th with a vehicle headed southbound from Camelback at a high rate of speed and was unable to maneuver the roundabout due to his speed. He hit the curb of the roundabout causing his vehicle to go airborne into the City of Phoenix light pole in my yard. Once he hit the pole, his car proceeded down my side yard completely taking out a large 40-50 year old Ash tree and then coming to a stop in two of our 40-50 year old ficus trees. The driver of the vehicle was unconscious and suffered two broken legs but will fortunately make a recovery. This accident happened at 2:30am.
The latest accident happened this past Sunday, April 1. It was a similar scenario, where a guy was driving southbound from Camelback on 56th Street at a high rate of speed, estimated between 60-80mph, same as last accident. The driver was once again, unable to maneuver the roundabout due to his high rate of speed. When his vehicle hit the curb on the roundabout, it caused him to lose control sending his vehicle into the curb along our house, but fortunately this time, he was able to gain control of his vehicle enough to steer his car away from my yard and house. His vehicle came to a stop along the side of my yard due to the damage his vehicle sustained after hitting the curb. He destroyed the under carriage of his vehicle to the point where the police who responded to the call believe his car is totaled. Once again, we are very fortunate no one was killed in this accident. This accident occurred at 7:50pm. This time, due to the fact it was Easter Sunday and a beautiful day outside, many families were outside enjoying their yards. Quite a few families witnessed this accident and were all feeling blessed that their children were not out crossing the street when this guy decided to drive reckless.
I have attached the videos from each of the accidents that my home cameras were able to capture. I have also attached the pictures from the accident that occurred on Feb. 1st.
I have also attached clips from a recent post someone created on Nextdoor.com speaking to the dangers of the intersection of 56th Street and Indian School. This posts is highlighting the concern of near misses with vehicles and children riding their bikes in this intersection to get to and from school or to the parks nearby.
I wanted to write to you to underline the importance of the SAVES and Connects 56th Street Project. I know that the SAVES and Connects 56th Street project has been awarded a $120,000 MAG grant. However, I know there has been a delay. We are very excited about this project and hope that it can move forward sooner than later as I know that it is only a matter of time before we have another person killed along this street. I don’t want to sit back and wait for that to happened. I want to know that we are doing everything we can to assist the City of Phoenix with moving forward with this project as I truly believe it is a matter of life or death. If there is anything you need from us as residents in this area, please feel free to reach out to me. I can be reached at 480-363-0234 or by email at KMersi@aol.com
Sincerely,
Karen Magnoni
5557 E Exeter Blvd